Take Me to Church
by shesellsseashells33
Summary: *A SEQUEL to The Truth May Vary* With the world crashing down around them - Emma, Sam, and Dean find themselves knee deep in the head on fight with the devil that they can only win together. Hurt, fear, and even love have to be put to the side in order for the hunters to save the world - and none of them are prepared for the surprises to come. Dean/OC
1. Chapter 1 - Heaven

**Hello everyone!**

 **My name is Shellby - and welcome to the second installation of my Supernatural Fanfiction series. :) Repeated, this is the SECOND installation, so to my new readers if you haven't read the first one you might be a little confused. I suggest going back and reading it.** **  
 **To my return readers, welcome!  
My inbox and review section is totally open to your critique and feedback on The Truth May Vary and what you want to see in this story. This chapter's going to be kind of short, but I hope y'all like it regardless.****

 **CHAPTER 1**

 _The world was always gonna seem a bit darker without Emma around. The Winchesters had already begun to fall apart. Dean was drinking; Sam had left. Dean blamed Sam (and Sam blamed himself) for her death – and the apocalypse that loomed over their heads like a plague. They still couldn't find Maggie. Bobby was sullen, especially without the use of her legs. Someone was going to crack under all the pressure. The world was going to have to hope it would wait for the saving of the world._

Chuck leaned back in his chair and rubbed one dirty hand over his eyes, the other hand holding a bottle of whiskey loosely. Tears pricked the sides of his eyes as he thought about the blonde and redhead girls at his door what seemed like yesterday. He was gonna miss those two.

The headache came as it always did. He squinted his eyes and ran his hand down his face, his body tense as he waited for the next vision. It came in flashes like the others did.

 _A dimly lit hotel lobby. Symbols on the walls. Dean and Sam… Dean and Sam what? Held up to the wall with some kind of force._

 _Another flash._

 _Emma Gordon's head was thrown back and she was laughing. The same dimly lit hotel lobby. Her eyes weren't black. It was her._

 _Flash!_

 _Emma leaned forward and held the hand of a black eyed demon in a smart suit. Slowly, she put her lips to his. Some kind of a deal was being made._

Everything faded back to normal. Gasping for air, Chuck wondered if he should call Dean. He decided against it. Emma was dead anyways.

-+s+-

"Emma!" … it was foggy … a question in the darkness of the back of her mind … Who's Emma? "Emma! Emma, baby, wake up!" The smell of a campfire was the first thing Emma Gordon noticed as each of her senses returned to her. Slowly, the woman opened her green eyes to stare at the face of a man in front of her. She recognized this man…

"Daddy?"

"Hey sleepyhead, c'mere! We're gonna miss it!" her father put his arms around her like she was a child and lifted her onto his back. She felt the familiar warmth of her father against her skin, and breathed in his scent – menthol cigarettes, car grease, and aftershave. They were in a field.

"Dad? What are we doing here?" She felt her bare feet hit the ground, soft against the bottoms of her feet as the tops of the wheat brushed her bare legs, and she was no longer in her father's arms, but was watching as a small blonde child with bare feet and a big t-shirt was being carried, piggyback, into the middle of a field of wheat. She was bouncing against his back in excitement and waving a little flag in her hand.

Very much like a brick, the truth of what Emma was watching hit her, and she stumbled back on her bare feet against the wheat, leaving a trail as she stared. She remembered this. The Fourth of July before she had met the demon… Sara… They had gone out into the middle of their fields in Oklahoma and watched the fireworks. This was one of the rare nights that her father didn't scream at her. One of the rare nights that he was his old self again. "Happy Fourth of July, baby." Her father was saying to the little girl. Emma felt tears pooling in her eyes as she stood behind her father and her little self, staring up at the fireworks that glinted off the miles and miles of fields.

"You can't stay here." Emma's blonde hair whirled around her as she turned quickly to look at the man that was standing at the edge of the field, where a rundown dirt road was. Emma frowned and saw him standing next to her truck – the one she had inherited from her father after he had died. The sides of his eyes crinkled as he smiled. Emma frowned at him and took another glance at the fireworks, her father's profile in the corner of her eye, before staring at the man once again.

"Who are you?"

"My name's John." The man said kindly, but gruffly, "This is my wife – Mary." A blonde woman came walking out of the trees to smile at the young hunter in the field.

"Why can't I stay here?" Emma asked. Her voice sounded small.

"You can," John said, shrugging his shoulders. "But we know you – and we know that as soon as we tell you our sons need your help you'll come running." The both of them smiled.

"Your sons? Your…" like a great wind, everything came back to her. Emma saw in her mind's eye herself lying on the floor in a convent… Ruby, Lilith,, Maggie, Sam and Dean… Dean… "Dean? And Sam?" the woman nodded. "You're-"

"John and Mary Winchester." The woman said with a smile as she came forward, "It's very nice to meet you, Emma."

"I'm dead." Emma suddenly came to the realization. Mary Winchester nodded.

"You've been dead for a month. It's taken us a little while to find you." Emma backed up a step and shook her head.

"A month? What's happened to Dean and Sam?" her voice sounded shrill.

"Come with us and we'll tell you what's goin' on." John said, and Emma nodded slowly, walking to the end of the field before turning her head back. The fireworks were gone – as was her father.

The three of them ended up outside of an old abandoned bar that Emma immediately recognized. Ash, as always, was waiting for her at the window. With a scream of delight, Emma ran toward the Roadhouse and wrapped her arms around the scrawny kid.

"Hey Emma!" he yelled into her ear as the two of them spun around for a second. She pulled away and grinned, pushing her hair out of her face. "Don't suppose now that you're dead you'll take that date with me?"

"You wish, kid." Emma teased him in their normal fashion and the two of them waited for John and Mary to catch up to them before going inside the bar. "Ash," Emma finally said after they were all holding beers, "Look, I'm really sorry – ain't no reason you should be dead."

"Nah, I like it up here." Ash said and Emma was taken aback, raising her eyebrows, "Good beer, free rent, I had Elvis in here the other day for a game of pool. He can play!"

"Don't you miss Jo and Ellen?" Emma asked, tilting her head to the side. He was right, this beer was beyond good.

"I look in on all of you from time to time, but you seemed to be doing a pretty good job of ending the world without me around." Emma's face deadpanned, and John cleared his throat, but Ash only laughed. "Kidding!"

"Emma?" the voice was one that she had heard the moment she had woken up. With her hand clenched in a fist, and fear in her heart, Emma turned her head back toward the man that was standing in the doorway. Everyone in the room got quiet, even Ash.

The man had dark brown hair, was well built, and wore a faded army jacket and combat boots with his dark clothes. Emma's heart skipped a beat as he walked in, his hands in the air.

"I know you must be angry with me, but… just hear me out."

"I told you it wasn't a good idea for you to be here." Mary Winchester scolded the man. "Adam, you shouldn't be here."

"This is my daughter," Adam said, looking at Mary almost coldly, "This is the only place I should be." Emma still said nothing as he walked toward her. She didn't move, only kept his eye contact closely. "Emma…"

"What could you possibly have to say to me?" Emma cut him off coldly, "How did you even get up here anyways?"

"I learned the errors of my ways, mainly. Went through a lot to get here. I was stuck on Earth for quite a while – even saved your life a couple times without you knowin'. You remember that kid that used to smoke in bed in that foster home you was in? Woulda burned down the whole house. I stopped him." Adam's deep southern accent, his kind tone, made Emma look away. "Look I don't expect you to believe me, or to forgive me, or even love me no more, but… I just want you to know that I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let the drink take me like that, even after the war. I don't blame you for what you did, and nobody's judgin' but God."

"Ain't nobody's place to judge a child for what she did in fear." Emma said, her green eyes flitting back to the same green eyes that were staring at her. She folded her arms above her chest and stared at him for the longest time. "I don't forgive you. Not yet anyways. But I believe you, and I always loved you – no matter how many times you screwed up and drank and swung your fists. I never stopped lovin' you daddy." Adam's face shone with tears, "I always knew you were sick."

Before either of them knew it, Emma was wrapped in her father's arms tightly. She felt the tears prickling down her face slowly as her father's shoulders shook with sobs. It was a long moment before he let go and smiled at her. "Lemme buy you a beer?" Emma laughed.

"Where's mama?" she asked an hour later as she was sitting at the bar with her father. She had told him about her life – what he didn't know already – and explained to him what had happened with Sara – when she first made a deal with the little girl. "Sara knew all along you were going to be the one she was going to possess, she just needed to get her claws into you first."

"Your mama?" Adam asked as he leaned himself back into his chair. The other three were talking behind the bar. "I don't know… I've been tryin' to find her since we died, but I don't much believe she wants to be found yet. Not by me anyway. One of these days."

 _"Emma….."_ a voice floated through the air and all five of the people in the room turned their heads toward the source of it. John ran his hand through his hair.

"Looks like you gotta go, kid." He said.

"Go?" Emma asked, confused.

"Well yeah!" Ash laughed from behind the bar, "The world's ending, you need to get back in the game! C'mere and give me a hug." There was only a moment for Emma to give each of them a short, puzzled embrace until she heard it again.

 _"Emma!"_ it was Castiel's voice. She recognized it this time. With a frown at the others, she walked toward the door and looked around until she saw the flash of a familiar trenchcoat standing in front of her.

"Cas?"

"We must hurry." Castiel said. His forehead was cut and he was glancing around cautiously. "I only have a few moments to do this." Emma's father was standing behind her, and he nodded to Castiel.

"You gotta go, honey." His voice was sad as he wrapped his arms around Emma. She hugged him back tightly, against her immediate instinct. "I'll see you when you come back, but not too soon, y'hear?"

"I hear." Emma replied, nodding. "Find mama." Adam only nodded before Castiel put his fingers on her forehead and the Roadhouse faded out of her sight, and she felt as if she was falling.

Back to earth she went.


	2. Chapter 2 - Seeing You Again

**Welcome to everyone! Again this chapter's gonna be kinda short, but let me know what you think! Next chapter we're gonna get into the episode a little heavily and some craziness is gonna come. Hope y'all like it :) Thanks to everyone who reviewed and sent me messages and followed this new story.**

 **CHAPTER 2**

Emma Gordon came to standing in a city alleyway. Her long blonde hair was piled on top of her head and as she looked down at herself, she saw the black jeans and long t-shirt she had been wearing the night that she died. Her boots were laced and her gun at her side. Everything back the way it was. Gloves were tucked into the back pocket of her jeans and she pulled them on warily, wondering for a moment at the fact that when she did she heard nothing in her mind.

"Dean is in a hotel across the street." Castiel was saying. Emma turned her head sharply and looked at him as she tugged her gloves on tighter. Cas looked down at her hands. "You won't be needing those anymore."

"I was in heaven?" she asked, cutting him off from whatever he was about to say next.

"Yes." was his only response. He looked tired. "I used what little power I had left to bring you back here. I've been cut off from heaven for helping Dean escape." Emma was silent for a moment, and she shivered in the evening air. As a loud motorcycle went by, she looked back up at the angel. "Now that Lucifer is walking the earth we need you back here. There's no other way to save everyone."

Emma continued to look at him. "You didn't tell us that killing Lilith was the final seal." she finally said quietly. Her voice was menacingly angry, "You lied to us again." Castiel looked down at the ground and obviously looked angry.

"I'm sorry." was all he said, "There was nothing I could do about it. If I would have rebelled earlier I wouldn't have had the power to bring you back now, anyways."

"If you would have rebelled earlier I wouldn't have died in the first place." Emma growled. She looked up at the sky and sighed for a long moment before the realization that Dean was mere yards away hit her. She turned her attention back to Cas. "We'll deal with it all later," she said shortly. "What did you mean I don't need my gloves anymore?"

"All the demon energy you had trapped inside you is gone now." Castiel said. "Your soul is pure again, but you may experience some… other powers that you never had before."

"Like what?"

"It's hard to say." Cas replied, shrugging his shoulders. Emma frowned, "Your close interaction with angels to bring you back to life may leave a mark."

"What, like… angel radiation?"

"Something like that. I've never seen a human soul like yours before. It takes power from those around it, that's why you experienced the mind imprints from Sara when she inhabited you as a child." Emma shuddered at the name. Without responding, she turned and looked at the rundown hotel across the street.

"Which room is he in?"

"102." and just like that the angel was gone, leaving Emma to stand alone at the opening to the alley, shivering in the cold before she turned and walked across the street.

The Impala was parked in front of the room that Dean was staying in, and Emma ran her gloved hand lightly over the familiar exterior as she walked by, before looking down at her hand. Slowly, she removed her glove and stared at her white fingertips. With a puzzled feeling in her gut, she reached down and rested her fingertips on the edge of the car, the cold metal tingling on her fingers. She heard nothing.

Emma couldn't tell if she was glad or upset that her power was gone, but that didn't matter right now. All that mattered was that Dean was standing in the room behind that door.

She knocked tentatively, slowly, and listened to the footsteps on the other side of the door. When she saw Dean open it, her heart skipped a beat. His t-shirt clung to his chest, and he wore his boots unlaced over baggy jeans. The underside of his eyes were dark, and his hair a mess. He hadn't slept in a long time. Dean and Emma's eyes met, and although she expected it, she felt her heart jump in her chest to a point of physical pain.

"Hey," she said with a small smile.

"Nope." Was Dean's only response as he slammed the door in her face. Typical. With a sigh and a little smile, Emma knocked again. The splash of water on her face when the door opened was also to be expected. She wiped it off her forehead with the neck of her t-shirt and smiled at him.

"Not a demon." She said quietly. She reached in the door, noticing as Dean took an alarmed step back and took the silver knife out of his hand before slicing a small portion of her arm. "Or a shifter. Can I come in now? It's freezing out here." Dean moved cautiously out of her way as she walked in the door and let the chill flow off her body in the heated room. He could only stare at her for the longest time. "You gonna say something or are we just gonna stand here all night?"

"…Emma?" his voice was hoarse. Emma looked at him and nodded. The thing she had expected at this point was for Dean to react the same way she would have, which was to run like hell. She watched as pain flickered in his eyes, and disbelief cloud his mind before he took a step toward her.

His body was pressed against hers before she had a chance to say anything. His arms wrapped tight around her waist, as hers snaked their way around his neck, and his lips were on hers in bruising power. She reached one of her hands up and grasped his hair, and heard the soft moan against her lips as he held her tightly. Emma felt her back hit the wall as he crushed her there, as if if he kept her there, between him and the tacky wallpaper, she would never disappear again. "Well hello to you too," she said softly as his lips left hers.

"How…?"

"Cas." Dean nodded, his head resting on her forehead.

"Of course." He said bitterly, "This is all a dream." He forcefully pushed his way away from her and went to sit on the edge of the bed, his forehead on his hands. "Cas just wants us to say yes to Lucifer and Michael – that's what all of this is about. There's no way he could have brought you back – he couldn't even have helped Bobby."

Emma's heart skipped a beat, "Bobby?!" she exclaimed and dropped to her knees in front of him, "Dean what happened to Bobby?"

"I'm done with this game, Cas... or whoever it is messing with me. I'm still not saying yes!" Emma shook her head from side to side and leaned back on her heels. Dean stood up quickly, and grabbed Emma by the upper arm. "You hear me? I'm done with this!"

"Dean, stop yelling!" Emma said and ripped her arm out of his hand. She reached over and grabbed his face with her hands, turning his face toward her. "It's me, really me."

"What exactly is this game that you think I am playing?" Castiel's voice came from the corner of the room as he appeared. Emma turned and looked at him.

"This game!" Dean shouted, pointing his finger at Emma. "You didn't have enough power to fix Bobby but you can bring Emma back from the dead? You think I'm gonna believe that? Well, you did a shitty job of recreating her. She's not even wearing her gloves."

"Dean, it's really me!"

"It is really Emma standing in this room." Castiel said in his usual monotone, "Bobby is living still, his legs are not important to his function in this world."

"His _legs?!_ " Emma shrieked and looked from angel to hunter in front of her. "What happened to Bobby?!" she repeated in a shrill voice. Emma went to grab Dean's cell phone from the table. Dean stopped her almost roughly.

"He was possessed and stabbed himself to get rid of it." Dean replied, turning to look at her. Emma gaped at him.

"As for her hands," Castiel continued, "I got rid of that problem when rebuilding her body. She no longer has any trace of demon inside of her. They can no longer find her."

"Rebuilding my body?" Emma asked skeptically and looked down at herself. "You couldn't have made me a bit taller in the process?" Dean's hand on her arm was getting gentler.

"It's really her…" Dean said, though still unsure.

"Yes." Castiel said and turned his head abruptly as if he could hear something. "I have to go." He said and suddenly disappeared. Dean slowly let go of Emma's arm and turned to look at her again.

"I'm not dreaming."

"Dean…" Emma's voice broke and she threw her arms around him again. This time there was little lust, she just wanted someone to hold her, and he seemed to feel the same way. There was a long moment of silence. "Where's Sam?" Dean's body tensed and he pulled away from her, going to grab a beer out of the cooler sitting on the ground. Emma stood there with her arms across her chest at his silence. "Dean," she said, sounding a lot like a mother, "Where's Sam?"

"I don't know. He left." Dean replied gruffly. He stood looking out the window. "A lot's happened while you were gone, Emma. Me and Sam are destined vessels or something like that – for Michael and Lucifer. There's supposed to be an epic fight that flattens half the world." Emma leaned against the bed and rubbed her fingers on her temple. She was never going to get used to this no-thoughts-when-she-touched-stuff thing.

"But they're angels." Emma said, "You both have to say yes."

"I know." He said, nodding his head. He turned to look at her again, and came to stand in front of her. "He killed you, Emma. Without even thinking about it, pretty much without any freaking guilt."

"He wasn't himself." Emma rushed to defend Sam. "It was the demon blood. He really thought he was doing the right thing. I can't believe you let him leave!"

"What was I supposed to do? Look at him every day and remember that he's the reason you were gone? That he started the apocalypse?!"

"None of us are without guilt here," Emma reminded him and Dean looked away from her. "You broke the first seal, I let Sara into my body. We all screwed up." Emma walked around Dean and walked over to the table, grabbing the cell phone on the table.

"What are you doing?" Dean asked as he rushed over.

"Calling Sam. Then calling Bobby." She said shortly. Dean reached over and snatched the phone out of her hand. She tried to reach and grab it but Dean had it too far over his head. Emma glared at him and reached higher. "Give me the damn phone."

But Dean knew how to distract her. "We'll deal with it afterward." He said, smiling as he let the phone fall to the ground and rested his lips on hers again.

"Afterward what?"

Before she knew it, Emma was lying down on her back on the hotel bed, giggling up at Dean. He leaned down and kissed her softly, gently, as if she were made of glass. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him closer to her as the two of them touched each other tentatively, as if at any second the other could disappear, and they had to touch all of each other that they could.

"I'm calling Sam in the morning." Emma said stubbornly. Dean only grunted against the skin at the base of her neck. "Want me to tell you what heaven looks like?" Emma asked quietly as Dean pulled his shirt over his head. Dean only smirked as he looked down at her bare torso.

"Already know." He said cheesily and kissed her again. "Now let's see how good a job Cas did putting you back together."


	3. Chapter 3 - 2014

**Be prepared! Lots of things to happen in this chapter. Hope y'all like it – let me know if the naming gets confusing :)**

 **CHAPTER 3**

The first thing Dean noticed was the cold. Still groggy and half asleep he groaned and shifted on the uncomfortable surface that he was sleeping on. He felt someone move in his arms, and smiled – his eyes still closed – at the realization that it was Emma. Dean had been inclined not to believe that Emma could possibly be back, and for the longest time he lied there hoping that last night wasn't a dream. As he heard her familiar sleepy sigh, though, he knew that it wasn't. It took great effort for him to open his eyes, waiting for the corners of his vision to clear up as he woke up slowly. Damn this bed was uncomfortable.

"Wha-" Dean mumbled when he realized that both he and Emma were fully clothed, lying on the springs of the hotel bed they had been in before. "Emma."

The blonde shook her head and curled her body close to his. "No." she whined. Her head was on his chest and with a slight laugh, he detached her from himself.

"Emma no really you gotta get up." Emma was really uncomfortable where she was, and had no problem telling him as she sat up slowly, before opening her eyes and blinking frantically.

"Dean, what the _hell_ did you do to my back last night? I'm so sore-" She cut herself off as she noticed the state that their hotel room was in. It was a mess, as if someone had thrown a wrecking ball… that was on fire… through the window. The mattress that they had been sleeping on was gone, and both Dean and Emma were wearing their clothes again. In alarm, Emma looked up at Dean and they met eyes. "Tell me we didn't just sleep through the apocalypse."

"I dunno." Dean said seriously, and reached down for her hand. Emma shook her head and stood up herself. "Look outside." Emma turned her head and walked to the window, staring at the smoldering buildings and rubble strewn across the city that they had been in. Cars in various forms of decomposition were lined up along the side of the street.

"C'mon." Emma said, pulling her gun from her waist, and climbed out the hole in the wall that used to be the door. Dean followed as Emma lit a cigarette. "Which way?" she asked him, her eyes wide.

"I guess it doesn't matter." Dean replied, "Let's take a look around." For the next two blocks, everything was either broken, lying in rubble, graffitied on, or all three. Emma tossed her cigarette butt to the side, her gun in her hand, and rounded a corner. The two of them were silent, and they looked at each other quickly as they heard glass smashing somewhere. Dean pointed to the direction that it came from and Emma nodded, sticking close to his side as they walked toward the source of the sound. Dean saw before Emma did. A little girl was huddled in an alley, a large teddy bear wrapped in her arms.

"Little girl?" Dean called out. Emma kept her hand on her gun. "Little girl? Are you hurt?" Emma made a sound of protest as Dean crouched down in front of her. "You know the not-talking thing is kind of creepy, right?"

Something was wrong. Emma tilted her head to the side as she looked at the girl. Her hair was matted and dirty, and she was trying to put the pieces of glass back together. Emma had never seen a child act like that before – and she had been around some troubled children. But the blood dripping from the girl's mouth was a surefire way to tell that something was wrong. Emma reached forward and grabbed Dean's shoulder, yanking him back with a "Dean!" as the girl stood up and attacked him. Her face was contorted and twisted, her eyes a dull grey and blood dripping off her black teeth.

"Whoa!" Dean shouted and Emma let off a BANG that sent the little girl straight onto the ground, a bullet hole in her head. "You just shot a kid!" Emma, however, didn't reply. Her eyes were glued to a huge piece of graffiti on the side of the building. Her blood ran cold.

"Dean."

"What?"

" _Dean_ …" she pointed in the direction of the graffiti and Dean blanched. "Shit…"

"Oh, crap…"

CROATOAN. Emma had heard of the virus before, from Bobby. She had never seen it in real life before but if that girl was any kind of example, she could already tell she didn't like it. The virus was only passed through blood to blood contact, and it turned everyone it infected into angry murderers. Bobby had described it as 'the real zombies' – something that the demons started. Emma looked back down at the corpse of the little girl, a bullet in her head. They like loud noises.

As if right on cue, a group of people, their faces contorted the same way the little girl's had, and their clothes ripped, came around the corner. Dean and Emma stepped to hide, but they had already noticed them.

"Emma…" the people started moving faster toward them, "Move, move, MOVE!" Grabbing her hand, Dean and Emma started running down the city streets – the crowd of infected people hot on their heels. By the third block, Emma's calves were aching. Apparently her body hadn't gotten a lot of exercise lying in a grave. Her heart dropped as they turned into an alley that was blocked at the end by a chain link fence. Dean slammed his fist against it, his whole body being shoved into the fence, and Emma stood there with her gun trained on the others.

"I don't have enough bullets." She said frantically. Dean took the gun out of her hand and pushed her.

"Stay behind me." Dean said as he lifted the gun. But before he could shoot, the air was filled with bullets. Dean and Emma dropped to the ground behind a few trash cans, and it was a second of confusion before either of them chose to look at the source of them. The Contours' _Do You Love Me_ started playing loud over some speakers, and Emma watched in horror as lines and lines of infected people were gunned down. This seemed more like a game to her than anything. Dean had her tucked into his chest, his arms around her neck and head and his own tucked down with her. Emma moved to look around, but Dean crushed her closer to his chest. "Don't move!" he shouted into her ear. The noise was deafening. Emma peeked out through his arm and glanced around the alleyway, searching for a way out. She found one in a broken window that led down to a basement five feet away from them. The problem was that the five feet they would have to move through was filled with flying bullets. Blood was flying everywhere, and in waves the infected were falling onto the ground – dead. They had to get out of there. Tapping his arm, hard, she pointed to the area that she was talking about and Dean nodded. She untangled herself from him and gave him only a glance before the two rushed to the right, still mostly hidden but not safe from the gunfire. Emma's heart was pounding against her chest, and she propelled herself through the broken window and down onto the ground, Dean close behind her. The two didn't stop there, they kept running until they were in another room in the basement, the sound of gunfire muffled by the door that Emma slammed shut once Dean was inside.

"Are you okay?" she asked immediately as she turned to look at Dean. He nodded, panting.

"You?"

"I'm okay." There was a moment of silence between the two as Dean walked over and kissed her on the lips. He was so glad she was back from heaven, and it didn't hit him until just then how protective he had become over her, and how scared he was of losing her again. Just running five feet through gunfire had sent his heart reeling out of control, and fear had taken hold of his limbs as he had forced them to move. She kissed him back willingly, her own blood pumping quickly through her veins. It was a long moment before the two of them calmed down.

"We should find Bobby." Emma said quietly, as Dean tucked her again against his chest. He nodded.

But neither of them moved until long after the gunfire had stopped, and by the darkness, Emma assumed it was nighttime. The two of them had moved to sit on the ground, leaning against the wall. Emma finished cleaning her gun and put it back together, sliding the bullets into the magazine.

"We've only got 4 left." She told him as Dean stood up and cracked the door, looking out.

"Don't shoot them unless you need to."

"I know that." She said, slightly irritated. Emma had noticed a change in her boyfriend. He seemed more protective, more commanding. She hoped that was going to go away. Now wasn't a time for Dean to start putting himself on the line to make sure she's one hundred percent safe – he would only get himself killed that way. Emma made a mental note to hash it out with him later.

As darkness started to fall over the city, Emma was being pulled up through the window by Dean. "Stay away from the blood." She reminded him in a quiet whisper, and he nodded. They weaved their way through the dead bodies of the infected before reaching the fence. Emma leaned her head as far as she could, pushing against the fence to see the city on the other side. It didn't look any different, but why a chain link fence? Dean had found a crowbar in a truck parked on the alleyway, and was pushing against a break in the side of the fence, bending it until it was big enough for them to fit through. Against Dean's quiet protests, Emma went through first, her gun out as she twisted side to side. She waved him through.

The city street was quiet, and as Emma turned she saw a sign that was on the fence. Dean was looking at it was well.

 **CROATOAN VIRUS HOTZONE  
NO ENTRY  
BY ORDER OF ACTING REGIONAL COMMAND  
AUGUST 1, 2014  
KANSAS CITY**

Dean sighed. "August first, 2014." Emma ran her hands through her hair.

"We time traveled." She said with her hands behind her head. "Great."

-+s+-

It only took a few minutes before Emma was whistling to get Dean's attention. She was standing at the door of a truck, tossing her head in the direction of the running engine. "You found one?" Dean asked as he walked over. Emma nodded. "I'll drive." Emma held back for a second by the driver's door. Dean just looked at her. "I'll drive." He repeated. The two of them climbed into the hotwired truck and took off down the freeway.

They had been driving for a few hours, Emma dozing off on Dean's shoulder, before his frustrated sigh and the sound of static brought her back to the real world – whatever that meant. "Still no cell service?"

"Nope. Nothing on the radio either. Just this static noise."

"That's never a good sign." Emma said and sat up in her seat, looking out the window. "Dean, we have to talk."

"Hm?" Dean didn't look away from the road.

"I've been back one day and you've already used yourself as a human shield, and almost didn't _let me_ go first through the fence. I get that I've been dead and all but-"

"No you don't get it." Dean interrupted her, shaking his head. He looked away from the road a minute to look at her. "I held your body while you died, Emma. I couldn't do anything – I was so helpless. There were no last words, no last second 'I love you's, none of that. And I know that's not how death works, I've seen plenty of it, but… for you…"

Emma leaned over and kissed Dean on the cheek. "I love you." She said to him earnestly. "And I get it, I understand I really do – but you can't keep blocking bullets for me. It puts you in way more danger."

"I can't lose you again." Dean said firmly, his hands clenching the steering wheel. Emma shook her head, staring at him in disbelief.

"And you think I can lose you?" she asked incredulously. "How would it make me feel if you died _protecting_ me from something that I can handle on my own? I'm not fragile, Dean."

"Will you just give me a minute to adjust, Emma?" Dean asked forcefully. Emma stared at him, "You just got back. I get that you can take care of yourself, but I'm not gonna just now get you back and then lose you again. Just give me a bit, okay?" Emma opened her mouth to respond.

"Croatoan pandemic reaches Austrailia." A voice that made Emma's blood run thin and cold with fury came from the back seat of the truck. Dean swerved in surprise, and looked in the rearview to see him sitting there reading a newspaper. Emma put her hand on her gun.

"I thought I smelled your stink on this Back to the Future crap." Dean growled. Emma tried to contain her fury by looking out the window. This was the angel who had let Sara loose inside her, who had jumpstarted the apocalypse. At this moment more than ever, Emma wished bullets could kill angels. _Sorry, God_ she thought to herself.

"President Palin defends bombing of Houston." Zachariah continued reading, "Certainly a buyer's market in real estate. Let's see what's happening in sports. That's right – no more sports. Congress revoked the right to group assembly. What's left of Congress, that is. Hardly a quorum if you ask me."

Emma let out her breath and turned around to look at him. "How did you find us?"

"Afraid we had to tap some unorthodox resources of late – human informants. We've been making inspirational visits to the fringier Christian groups. They've been given your image, told to keep an eye out." Emma frowned.

"The Bible freak outside the motel – he, what, dropped a dime on me?"

"Onward, Christian soldiers. And the same one couldn't believe his eyes when he saw a woman and man appear out of thin air across the street. Especially considering the woman was supposed to be dead. Now that peaked my interest significantly."

"You son of a bitch." Emma cursed at him, "Don't even talk about my death. Good, great. You've had your bull shit jokes. Now send us back."

"Oh you'll be back home." Zachariah smiled, "All in good time. We want you to marinate a bit." He turned his head and looked Emma dead in the eyes, "both of you."

"Marinate?"

"Three days, kids. Three days to see where this course of action takes you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dean asked harshly.

"It means your choices have consequences. This is what happens to the world if you continue to say 'no' to Michael. Have a little look-see." And with that, Zachariah vanished.

Dean had filled Emma in on the gist of the Michael and Lucifer vessel issue, and to Emma it was as simple as that. Not only would an archangel like Michael destroy Dean's body, but half the planet was going to be flattened in their fight. Emma most of all didn't want that to happen.

She really hated angels.

-+s+-

"Bobby?" Emma cried at the door to her surrogate father's house as she pushed open the door that was already cracked. "Bobby it's me! We're comin' in!" The two hunters walked in the front door and looked around the kitchen area. There were dishes piled up, some broken on the floor. The house was thoroughly trashed the deeper Dean and Emma looked. Emma reached her bare fingertip down and picked up a bunch of dust on her finger. She showed it to Dean. "No one's been here in a long time." She said solemnly.

"Oh, no." Dean said as he stared at something out of Emma's vision. Emma's heart froze and she came around to stare at the wheelchair Bobby had become confined in during Emma's time dead. Her stomach lurched at the bullet holes and dried blood on the back of the seat. Mouth open, and tears filling her eyes, she froze on the spot. "Where is everybody, Bobby?" Dean wondered aloud and went to leave the room – taking a moment to notice that Emma was still standing there. "Emma?"

She took a ragged breath.

"It's not real, angel." Dean said and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her out of the room. "He's not really gone."

"We gotta find a way to stop this." Emma whispered and immediately went upstairs to check out her room. Maybe her journal was still there. It seemed to her, though, as she walked in the door, that her room was even more trashed than the rest of the house. Some of the dust had been disturbed, as if someone had been rummaging through her things. With a frown, Emma moved her bed to the side and wrenched loose the floorboard under the head. That was where she had kept extra cash, a gun, and a fake passport. All three of those things were gone. Who else could have known that they were there? She was the only one in the world…

"Emma I got something." Dean said from the doorway to her room. He noticed the bed moved and her huddled behind it. "What're you doing?"

"Nothing." Emma said, decidedly. "My journal's gone. So's Bobby's. What you got?" Dean held up a photograph for her to see. In the picture Bobby was standing next to a very normal looking Castiel, with three men Emma didn't recognize, and a sign. Emma squinted her eyes to look closer.

"Camp Chitaqua."

-+s+-

The drive was shorter than Emma had anticipated. As Dean and Emma climbed out of the truck and made their way toward the fence, the both of them crouched low and stayed as quiet as possible. Men with guns were standing just inside the fence, displaying the sign CAMP CHITAQUA, and Emma and Dean weren't gonna take any chances. Emma pointed to the right, toward an old smashed up car, and Dean nodded. As they approached the vehicle they realized that it was the Impala. Emma watched as Dean's face fell and he looked shocked. "Oh, baby, no." he said in dismay. Emma raised her eyebrows as Dean leaned his head in the window and looked at the destroyed inside. "Oh, no, baby, what did they do to you?"

"Dean?" Emma asked, quietly, trying not to laugh. She tugged on his blue shirt, "We gotta go."

A sound to their right brought Dean out of his dismay and Emma with her gun up. As Dean turned toward the sound, he barely had any time to notice who it was that was there – which caused even more confusion – before he was knocked out unconscious on the ground. Emma, however, saw the whole thing. Another Dean, this one wearing a green jacket and a grim look, was staring down at Emma's Dean, one eyebrow raised. After a long moment, 2014-Dean looked up at Emma. Her eyes were shocked wide open, her body rooted to the spot.

"Where the hell have you been?"

-+s+-

"What do you mean where have I been?" Emma asked, tilting her head to the side and giving 2014-Dean a puzzled look.

"Don't give me that bull," 2014-Dean said. He seemed much more serious than Emma's Dean, but there was a hint of relief in his voice. "You've been gone for almost a year and then you don't even give any notice that you're coming back, that you're not dead, that your son doesn't have to -"he suddenly paused and walked up to Emma. "Turn around."

"Excuse me?"

"I said turn around." He said, and twisted Emma around before pulling down the back of her t-shirt. 2014-Dean frowned and whirled her back around.

"You wanna tell me just what's going on here?" Emma demanded. It came to her slowly what he had said. "My son? What about a son?"

2014-Dean looked panicked for a single moment before Emma too was knocked out and dropped n the ground.


	4. Chapter 4 - Stephen

**:)**

 **Thanks again for the messages.**

 **I forgot to add in the first chapter, btw. I do not own creative rights to Supernatural or any of the episodes I'm following closely. Please do not sue me - I'm broke.**

 **CHAPTER 4**

The pain that Emma woke up to was originating from somewhere around the side of her face. Groaning, Emma rolled her head from side to side, trying to work the stiffness out of her neck, her eyes closed.

"Emma?" Dean's voice came through her foggy perception. "It's okay, angel." As she finally opened her eyes, she saw Dean sitting across from her in a shed, his arm handcuffed to a ladder beside him. "You okay?"

"Yeah, what the hell happened?"

"I should be asking you that question don't you think?" Dean's voice was not coming from his mouth. Turning her head, Emma saw 2014-Dean sitting across the room from them, cleaning his gun. He looked at them as he did so, glaring particularly hard at Emma. "In fact," he continued, "why don't you give me one good reason why I shouldn't gank you right here and now?"

"Because you'd only be hurting yourself."

"Very funny." 2014-Dean deadpanned.

"We're not shapeshifters or demons or anything like that." Emma said earnestly. She struggled a little bit against the uncomfortable zip-ties that were holding her hands behind her back.

"Yeah, I know." 2014-Dean said flatly, "I did the drill while you were out. Silver, salt, holy water – nothing. But you know what was funny?" he indicated his attention to Dean. "Was that you had every hidden lockpick, box cutter, and switchblade that I carry. Now, you want to explain that? Oh, and the uh resemblance while you're at it?"

"Zachariah." Emma offered up. 2014-Dean stood up, setting his gun down and staring at them intently.

"Come again?"

"I'm you from the tail end of 2009. Zach plucked us up from our bed and threw us five years into the future."

"Which sucks, by the way." Emma said, "It sucks here." 2014-Dean ignored her.

"Where is he? I want to talk to him."

"Dunno."

"Oh, you don't know." 2014-Dean rolled his eyes.

"No, he doesn't!" Emma snapped. Why was 2014-Dean so bitter and angry? "We're just trying to get back to our own year, okay?"

"I'll deal with you in a minute." 2014-Dean growled at her. Dean growled.

"Don't even look at her." The two Deans stared at each other for the longest time, and Emma mused at their identical expressions.

"You two could really make money at a circus or something. Do the mirror trick." 2014-Dean glowered at her, while Dean chuckled.

"Okay then, if you're really me. Tell me something only I would know." Dean thought for a moment before smirking. He cast an apologetic glance at Emma before turning back to his future self.

"Rhonda Hurley. We were… nineteen. She made us try on her panties. They were pink. And satiny." Emma raised her eyebrows at him, "And you know what? We kind of liked it." If Emma could put her head into her hands she would – how did she end up listening to these things? But instead of doing anything, she just sighed.

"You're gross."

"Touché," 2014-Dean said, tilting his head to the side, "So what Zach zapped you up here to see how bad it gets?"

Emma chose not to speak, it didn't seem that 2014-Dean wanted to hear anything from her anyways. "I guess." Dean said, "Croatoan virus, right? That's their endgame?"

2014-Dean nodded, "It's efficient, it's incurable, and it's scary as hell. Turns people into monsters. Started hitting major cities about two years ago. World really went in the crapper after that."

"What about Sam?" 2014-Dean went from putting his gun back together to freezing. He ran one hand through his hair and Emma swallowed.

"Heavyweight showdown in Detroit. From what I understand, Sam didn't make it."

"You weren't with him?" Emma asked furiously.

2014-Dean looked at her, "No." he said shortly, "Me and Sam, we haven't talked in – hell, five years." Emma turned to look at her Dean, her eyes wide with fury. She had told him to talk to him. She had told him that this was going to happen. Damn it.

"We never tried to find him?" Dean asked quietly, after meeting Emma's deathly gaze.

"We had other people to worry about." 2014-Dean said as he walked over to Emma. She didn't flinch, Dean wouldn't hurt her no matter how angry he was, but was surprised when he cut the zip ties that were holding her hands behind her back. Emma rubbed her wrists, staring up at him with wide eyes.

"Where are you going?" Dean asked as 2014-Dean dragged Emma up by her arm.

"I got to run an errand." 2014-Dean said shortly, "And you," he turned to Emma, "you need to see something."

"Whoa – you're just gonna leave me here?" Dean asked incredulously. 2014-Dean stared at him with a flat face.

"Yes. I got a camp full of twitchy trauma survivors out there with an apocalypse hanging over their heads. The last thing they need to see is this version of The Parent Trap. So, yeah, you stay locked down." Emma had to admit he had a point, but she still stared at Dean with wide, confused eyes. Dean shrugged his shoulders at her before smirking at himself.

"Okay, fine. But you don't have to cuff me, man." 2014-Dean turned, dragging Emma toward the door. "Oh come on, you don't trust yourself?" 2014-Dean seemed to think for a second before turning back to himself.

"No, absolutely not." Emma shrugged her shoulders at Dean, indicating that she kind of agreed with his older self. Before she could say anything, though, 2014-Dean was pulling her out into the cold. 2014-Dean checked around the corners before pulling her out into the open path, walking briskly toward what seemed to be the edge of camp.

"You know," Emma said, ripping her arm out of his grasp. He tried to grab her again, but she just walked next to him, pulling her arm away from him. 2014-Dean finally seemed to give up. "Whatever I did to you, I haven't done yet – so you can stop being such a dick anytime now." 2014-Dean said nothing. "Where are you taking me anyways?"

"To see our son."

-+s+-

"Our what?" Emma was asking as they walked through a field toward a small structure on the edge of camp. "We have a kid?"

"I have a kid." 2014-Dean interrupted her, angrily. "You, however, are nowhere to be found. Disappear on a two day mission almost a year ago and never come back. Left me to look after Stephen myself."

"What kind of name is Stephen?" Emma asked – it was not her style.

2014-Dean glared at her. "I named him. You never bothered to stick around long enough to do so." Emma stared at him incredulously, pausing in their footsteps in the path. "What?" he asked her, "It's the truth. You've always done that. The going gets tough and you get going. You're, what, from 2009? Let's see. At this point I'm assuming you've left us when you realized Sara was still around, you left us to go pay back a debt to a demon while we're balls deep in seals… After every argument you leave and don't come back for hours. Am I pretty accurate so far? These years of knowing you - of loving you, I've gotten pretty used to you not being here." 2014-Dean started walking off the path toward the structure. Emma followed, her head hung, staring at the ground in front of her.

"I would never leave my child." She said fiercely as she looked up at him. They were getting close to the structure and Emma was getting more and more nervous as they approached it. What would the child be like? Would he even know her?

"Well you did." 2014-Dean said fiercely, "And this is what happened." they had come to a stop in the middle of the field. Emma looked from the structure to 2014-Dean, confused. But he wasn't looking at her, he was looking at the ground.

STEPHEN WINCHESTER  
BEAUTIFUL BABY BOY  
JUNE 2013 – AUGUST 2014

Emma's eyes were filling with tears before she had even finished reading the headstone. She backed up a couple steps, realizing that she was standing on her baby son's grave. Her breath was rising and falling rapidly, and her hands seemed to have gone numb. Her heart was in her throat. "H….how?" she managed to squeak out.

2014-Dean looked down at his feet. "There was a breach in the perimeter. Found a Croat – someone infected – in our house. It was too late for him by the time I got in there. It had killed one of the women who looked after him sometimes after you left."

"I don't understand why I would have left." Emma whispered. "I mean, yeah, that's my thing but… I ain't never left someone I didn't think could take care of themselves. Something must have happened."

"Something that was too important to tell your husband?" Emma started and looked at his left hand – they had gotten married too? "Yeah you keep telling yourself that." 2014-Dean said to her. "Do me a favor, though?" Emma looked at him, "Maybe leave a note or something to explain?" Emma made a small choked sound out of her throat. She hadn't even done any of this yet, and she felt incredibly guilty. The pain on 2014-Dean's face was heartwrenching. Emma crouched down and ran her hand along the tiny headstone, picking small weeds out of the side and casting them away. Emma felt 2014-Dean lean down beside her, and felt a shiver go up her spine as he ran his hands tenderly over her arms. This was the first time she had felt him touch her in the way she was used to – not violently. She turned her head to look at him and saw that his eyes were closed, and that tears were running down his face. Slowly, Emma stood up, leaving 2014-Dean to clasp his hands between his knees. She reached down and touched the bottom of his chin, bringing him up to his feet. His eyes stared into hers as he did, standing taller than her like he always did.

"I'm so sorry." Emma whispered to him tenderly, and 2014-Dean let out a small cry, before crushing her body against his in an almost violent way. He kissed her in a way that she got lost in – that she could get lost in for hours. He kissed her fiercely yet gently, sadly, like he was saying goodbye.

"He was so beautiful." 2014-Dean said in a hoarse voice when he finally pulled away from Emma. They were both panting. "He looked just like you, had a little gung ho attitude by the time he was three months. Even tried to get to my whiskey once." Emma looked at him disapprovingly. "I didn't give it to him." 2014-Dean said defensively. He still had not taken his hands off her, and now tucked her into his chest, his head resting on the top of her head. "I miss you so much." He finally whispered, before sighing and letting go of her. "Come on," he finally said, "I have to be getting on a mission."

The two of them walked back to central camp in silence. Emma had her hands stuffed deep into her sweater pockets, her eyes already beginning to get puffy from crying. Every now and again, Dean's hand would brush her arm, and every time it sent a pleasurable shiver down her spine.

"Emma Gordon!" the shriek came from behind them. Emma whirled around and saw a surprised Chuck rushing forward across the courtyard. Emma did a double take.

"Chuck?"

"We all thought you were dead!" Chuck leaned forward and hugged her tightly. He noticed the red around her eyes, "I'm really sorry about Stephen. But, I mean, it's sad that it was Mary who was in there with him and couldn't defend herself, but I'm really glad it wasn't you in there. I'm really glad you're back – we could use you." Emma tried to keep up with his quick speaking, nodding as he spoke. "Where have you been anyways? Dean told us it was 'top secret'?" Emma glanced at 2014-Dean, who said nothing.

"I was out scouting other camps." Emma said quickly, making it up on the spot. "My supplies ran out and I spent a lot of time walkin'."

"And Maggie? Where is she?" Emma started again, she was just sick of the surprises, and stared at him for the longest time. Maggie was dead in her time – she saw her getting pulled into the light in the convent. Who knew where her soul was… and yet… if she was alive in this time, she must be alive in her own.

"Maggie stayed behind in another camp for testing. They've got better medical facilities than we do." 2014-Dean offered up and Chuck nodded his head. "But she's coming back, don't worry about it."

"Well I hope she gets back soon. It's been boring around here without her." Chuck gave his awkward laugh, "Anyways, I better go check on the others. Good to see you back, Emma." Emma gave a wave and watched as he walked briskly away from them. Glancing around, Emma turned on 2014-Dean, surprised.

"Maggie's alive?" she hissed at him. 2014-Dean looked taken aback.

"Yeah," he said, nodding his head. "She's the only one we've met who's immune to the Croatoan virus. I'm assuming this has something to do with the night this all started, but we can't know for sure. She's been bitten, blood splattered on her, the whole nine yards. Nothing ever happens to her." Emma narrowed her eyes and thought hard for a moment.

"Where did you find her?" she asked urgently.

2014-Dean shook his head, "She came to us." He said simply and Emma ran her hand through her hair, cussing under her breath. Patting her pockets, Emma sighed and started looking around.

"Doesn't anybody around here smoke?" she asked, irritated. 2014-Dean laughed. He handed her a key.

"Down this path? There's a tiny cabin that says Winchester on the front. That's where we stayed. I think I kept all your stuff – including the pack you left behind. It's in a box in the closet. I've gotta go, I'll come find you when I come back." His voice was returning to the gruff, emotionless one that he had when she first met him.

"Dean?" she asked. 2014-Dean closed his eyes at the sound of her saying his name. She stepped over to him. "If I come back – the me from this time – please yell at me." Tears prickled the sides of her eyes. "Yell at me and scream at me and … leave me if you want to." 2014-Dean just stared at her, "Because I deserve it one hundred percent. I will never leave you again… the you handcuffed to that ladder." 2014-Dean didn't say anything, he just ran the back of his hand over his eyes and nodded, before walking away.

-+s+-

Emma unlocked the keys to her future home – it would seem – slowly, and stepped in quietly, the creaky boards under her feet giving way beneath her boots. Inside, the place was a mess. The living room was covered in beer cans and maps. Three guns were leaning against the wall and a thin blanket was draped across the couch. Curiously, Emma walked into another room, what she assumed to be their bedroom. It looked like it hadn't been slept in in months. There was dust on the nightstands, and the bed was stiffly made. Even a small baby crib was still sitting at the edge of the bed. Emma moved over to the closet and slid open the door, looking at the clothes of Dean's that were hanging on the pole. At the bottom of the closet was a shoebox, labeled "STEPHEN". Tentatively, Emma sat back with her legs crossed and pulled the box onto her lap. Inside was a journal, much like the one she carried with her now, or John Winchester's journal. Leather bound and held together with a long string. Emma pulled it out of the box as if it were made of dust and carefully opened it.

The first thing she saw was a tiny photograph of herself. She looked tired, older, but happy as she held a tiny baby in her arms. The picture was taken in a darker room, but she could see the outline of the tiny blue blanket in her arms, and the outlines of a little face. She covered her mouth with her hand, her brows meeting in the middle as she frowned, and turned the page. Another picture greeted her, but this time the child was older, reaching up from his crib to whomever was taking the picture.

 _Emma,  
I'm writing you these because by the time you get back you're gonna have missed a lot of Stephen's first things. He crawled for the first time today, and I think the little sucker's gonna be walking before we know it. How old do you think is old enough to teach him how to use a knife? I can't understand a damn word the kid is saying, but sometimes it sounds something like "mama". Hope you come back soon, angel. I miss you. _

_Dean_

The next half of the journal was similar to this, although the notes kept getting shorter and shorter until the last entry was: _Stephen died today. I can't do this by myself. Where are you?_ In shaky handwriting.

Emma watched as she flipped the pages as her son grew over a year. The little guy was smart, there was no doubt about that. He must have been 7 months and was already learning how to put blocks together on a little train.

By the time she finished the journal, tears were falling from her face again in full force. She took the photo of the little boy, reaching up toward the camera, and made her way to the king sized bed that was pushed against the wall of their bedroom. Slowly, painfully, she climbed her way up to the bed and curled up on top of the blankets, the picture in her hand as she stared at it. She had never known the little boy, never met him – hadn't even given birth to him… yet? But she missed him, she hurt like she could only imagine a mother could hurt after losing a child. Letting out a guilty and strangled tiny cry, she buried her face in the pillows.

Finally, she fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5 - Back to the Future

**Hey y'all so I moved over the past couple weeks to some land in the desert and haven't gotten a chance to get on a computer. I don't have wifi out there yet so the chapters might be a bit sporadic this summer. Hope y'all enjoy this chapter and see you for the next one! As always, please let me know what you think :)**

 **CHAPTER 5**

Emma was woken up by the sounds of yelling from the living room of the cabin. For a moment, she forgot where she was again. It sounded like Dean was arguing with himself, and it was weird to think that that's exactly what he was doing.

"What the hell was that?" 2014-Dean was shouting.

"What the hell was _that_?!" Dean shouted back, "You just shot a guy in cold blood!" Emma, the picture still in her hand, struggled to sit up and rolled her head around, listening to her bones pop quietly.

"We were in an open quarantine zone." 2014-Dean was saying nonchalantly as Emma made her way to the doorway. "Got ambushed by some Croats on the way out." Dean shook his head (confused), neither had noticed her there yet. "Croats. Croatoans. One of them infected Yeager." Dean scoffed.

"How do you know?"

"Cause after a few years of this, I know." 2014-Dean not only sounded tired, but irritated, "I started seeing symptoms about a half an hour ago. Wasn't gonna be long before he flipped. I didn't see the point in troubling a good man with bad news."

"Troubling a good – you just blew him away in front of your own people! Don't you think that freaked them out a little bit?" Dean shouted.

"It's 2014." 2014-Dean said condescendingly, "Plugging some Croat, that's called commonplace. Trading words with my friggin clone? That might have freaked them out a little." 2014-Dean turned to walk away from Dean, but stopped in his tracks when he saw Emma standing in the doorway. Her hair was disheveled, and her eyes were still glazed over from tears and sleep. Dean rushed over to her, standing in front of her and glaring at his other self.

"Emma! What the hell did you do to her?" he asked, as he gathered Emma up in his arms. Emma clutched the picture of the baby close to her chest, and hugged Dean back.

"He didn't do anything." Emma said, shaking her head, "I'll tell you about it later." Dean nodded, keeping her tucked into his side protectively. Emma watched the pain flash across 2014-Dean's face, and the way that he looked at her longingly, and she gave him a small smile.

"All right, look –" Dean was cut off.

"No. You look." 2014-Dean said forcefully. "This isn't your time. It's mine. You don't make the decisions. I do. So when I say stay in, you stay in." Dean nodded his head and put one of his hands up.

"All right man. I'm sorry. Look, I – I'm not trying to mess you, me … us up here." Emma had the feeling they only stopped arguing because she was there.

2014-Dean sighed and grabbed a bottle of whiskey out of the cupboard. "I know." He took three glasses out of his cabinet and set them down on the table. Emma snatched hers up before any of the other two and took a quick drink.

"It has been a really wacky weekend." Emma nodded, and suddenly realized how exhausted she was yet again. Just the two nights before she had been brought back from the dead, and literally the next day had been thrown into the future. Now she had a dead son, a husband, and a world full of zombies to deal with. Where the hell was Zachariah to take them back?

"Tell me about it." 2014-Dean echoed her thoughts. She watched as the two Deans simultaneously took a drink.

"What was the mission you went on, anyway?" Emma asked. She had slipped the picture into her back pocket, and after another drink wiped her eyes dry. Dean watched her carefully, noting at her emotions shutting down again – her tough side kicking in. He wasn't sure that he liked her like this, but it wasn't really up to him. Before he met he's if any woman tried to cry on him it would freak him out - but she had changed him. Now he wanted her - whenever she cried or yelled or laughed really loud. He found he just didnt want her to shut down. 2014-Dean was watching her as well. He reached down into the bag at his feet and pulled out a pistol, holding it up in front of the two.

"The Colt?" Dean asked.

"Wait… _the_ Colt?" Emma asked, and reached over to take it out of 2014-Dean's hand. He drew it back protectively and she retreated, her hands up. Bobby had told her about that gun, how much it was worth – what it could do. According to legend, there was nothing the Colt couldn't kill.

"Where was it?"

2014-Dean smiled, "Everywhere." He said gruffly but proudly, "They've been moving it around. Took me five years, but… I finally got it." His grin widened. "And tonight – tonight I'm gonna kill the devil." 2014-Dean stood up and put the whiskey away, before pulling on his jacket again. "I'm gonna do a perimeter check. Now, please, the both of you stay here? Maybe listen this time?" 2014-Dean walked out the door, shutting it behind him without another word.

Emma and Dean were left standing at the table on their own. Dean ran one hand over the back of his neck before looking at her with his eyebrows raised. "What's wrong?" he asked simply. Emma looked away from him and sat down heavily at the table. Dean sat close to her. "I haven't seen future you around here, you know why?"

"Future me is gone." Emma said quietly. Dean made to make a comment, but Emma cut him off. "I ran away. Went somewhere with Maggie, nobody knows where I am."

"Well maybe you found something – couldn't tell anyone but me." Dean offered. Emma looked down at her hands.

"I didn't even tell you. I left you here." Emma reached into her back pocket and pulled out the picture of the tiny boy. Dean took it with his brow furrowed. "That's Stephen. He's your son." Dean did a double take at the picture before looking back up at Emma with a confused face.

"My what?"

"I guess we get married and have a kid out here." Emma said, nodding her head. Her voice seemed bitter.

"Well where is he?" Dean asked, still holding the picture in his hand.

Emma swallowed and fought back tears again. She looked down at the picture and choked back a tiny sob. "He's dead." She said weakly. "I left and he died." Dean leaned back in his chair again in surprise and stared at her before looking down at the photo in his hand. He ran his thumb over the child's cheek.

"You left our kid here?" he asked incredulously. He sounded a bit angry.

"I don't know why." Emma said as she tasted tears. "I don't know what happened. Only that I left and that little boy died. And you… future you… you're so mad at me." Emma leaned her head down into her hands and cried for another few moments. "What kind of mother am I going to be one day, Dean? I couldn't even stick around long enough to make sure my son stayed alive?" Dean quickly got up from his chair, leaving the picture on the table and kneeling in front of her.

"Hey, hey Emma. Listen to me. You haven't done any of this. None of this is your fault. We're not married, there's no kid. We just need to survive here until we can get back into our time and do it right. It doesn't have to be like this now that we know." Dean wrapped his arms around Emma, holding onto her tightly. He didn't want to admit it but he was stung at the fact that Emma left, even if it wasn't the Emma in his arms. He didn't put it past her to leave, actually. But he always thought he was going to be the first to run if something like that happened. A kid … damn. "Shh," he whispered into her ear as she stopped crying. "We're gonna be okay. It's not gonna end up like this."

He only hoped that he was telling the truth.

-+s+-

"Are you saying we, uh, walk in straight up the driveway, past all the demons and the Croats and we shoot the devil?" 2014-Castiel was different. He wore a baggy t-shirt, had a beard, and apparently according to Dean he had been having an orgy earlier. Apparently he was a human now, and reveling in his decadence – because why the hell not? He smelled like weed and everclear. Emma liked him.

"Yes." 2014-Dean was saying. The group was standing around a table outside, the sun beginning to set casting a grey film over everything. The people at the table were all dressed apocalypse-style. Guns slung over their shoulders and everyone in some form of camouflage green. Emma stood beside her Dean, her arms crossed, watching them all.

"Okay if you don't like reckless, I could use insouciant maybe."

2014-Dean tilted his head in frustration. "Are you coming or not?" Castiel sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Of course," he said, "But why is he?" Cas indicated Dean standing close to Emma. Every now and again he would touch her, as if he was checking she was still there. He had been doing that ever since she had come back to that motel. "I mean, he's you five years ago. If something happens to him, you're gone right?" Emma frowned.

"He's coming."

"What about her?" Cas indicated Emma with a slightly softer tone. "She's coming too?"

"No." Both Deans said at the same time. Emma was taken aback.

"No?" she asked, one eyebrow raised. 2014-Dean came to stand in front of her, looking down at her and narrowing his eyes.

"That's final." Emma's eyes widened and she stared at him for a few moments, as if to tell him that this was not, in fact, final. Castiel stared at them for a few moments before chuckling and gesturing to Risa.

"We'll get the grunts moving."

2014-Dean was still staring at Emma, the two of them locked in a battle of will, as he replied. "We're loaded and on the road by midnight."

"All righty."

Dean waited for everyone to leave until he walked over and separated himself and his girlfriend. "Whoa, man. Don't look at her like that."

"I'm going." Emma said in a menacing tone.

"You're not." 2014-Dean said. "Zach has an interest in keeping him alive, I need him to see something. But there isn't anything keeping you alive here. So you're staying." Emma thought about what he was saying, and finally had to conclude that perhaps he was right. She hated that. 2014-Dean turned to Dean. "You're coming because I want you to see something. I want you to see our brother." Emma was taken aback at this new development.

"Sam?" she asked. 2014-Dean nodded at her.

"I thought he was dead." Dean said accusingly. 2014-Dean shook his head.

"Sam didn't die in Detroit. He said 'yes'."

"'Yes?'" Dean swallowed and Emma frowned. There was a very long silence before Emma glared at the both of them. "And this would be y'alls fault. You should have called him! He would have never done that if he didn't think it was the right thing – and what else are we good for but to stop him from making those 'I thought I was doing the right thing, look at me I'm so tall' decisions! Don't you remember what happened last time we left him alone with demons?"

"Either way, now we don't have a choice. It's in him, and it's not getting out. We've got to kill him, Dean. And you need to see it – the whole damn thing, how bad it gets – so you can do it different." 2014-Dean looked desperate.

"What do you mean?"

"Zach said he was gonna bring you back, right?" Emma nodded, "Well when you get back home –" he turned to Dean, "you say yes. You hear me? Say yes to Michael."

"No!"

"That's crazy." Dean said, "If I let him in, then Michael fights the devil. The battle's gonna torch half the planet!"

"Look around you man!" 2014-Dean said loudly, "Half the planet's better than no planet, which is what we have now. If I could do it over again, I'd say yes in a heartbeat."

"So why don't you?" Emma spit venom at him. Two days back on earth and she was already dealing with the fact that she might lose Dean – again. There had to be another way. Emma thought about the little boy's picture in her back pocket and for the first time since she had learned of him felt an aching in her chest – she needed this boy in her life. And nobody could father him better than Dean.

"I've tried!" 2014-Dean shouted as Emma was thinking, "I've shouted yes till I was blue in the face. The angels aren't listening! They just left – gave up!"

"There's gotta be another way." Dean said, shaking his head.

"Yeah that's what I thought. I was cocky. Never actually thought I'd lose." 2014-Dean turned to Emma and looked at her for a long time. "But I was wrong Dean. I lost everything. I was wrong. I'm begging you. Say yes." Emma blinked furiously and squared her jaw, looking away. He was trying to get her on his side, but there were just so many thoughts running through her head that she had nothing to contribute. "But you won't. Cause I didn't. Because that's just not us is it?"

Midnight came sooner than Emma would have liked. She was standing inside 2014-Dean's house, with her arms folded across her chest. The clock on the wall said 11:55. Dean was standing behind her, his arms around her waist. "We could have some rockin back to the future sex while we're waiting." He whispered in her ear. Emma laughed and shook her head.

"You only gonna last five minutes?" Emma teased him.

"I'm thinkin about you." Dean teased her right back and tickled her around the waist. She laughed and punched him in the stomach, earning a grunt from him from her strength.

"Let's go." 2014-Dean said gruffly as he opened the door. He looked taken aback at the two of them, laughing and holding each other, but didn't say anything. He only indicated with his chin that they were leaving and Dean nodded, shrugged at Emma and kissed her, before walking out the door.

"See you when I get back." Dean mumbled to her as he left. 2014-Dean was left with Emma. The two of them stared at each other for a long time, before 2014-Dean walked forward and handed her something small. Opening her hand, Emma saw a small diamond ring.

"You left this here." he said quietly. There was a moment of quiet. "I want you to try and get him to say yes."

The request came out of the blue and took Emma a few steps back. "I'm not gonna do that." 2014-Dean ran his hand through his hair and sighed before turning back to her.

"Look. I'm not good at this... Just wait til you see my wedding vows. Its bad. But... I dont want... I dont think you - now you - is coming back. So I want you to know. I ... I love you more than anything in the whole world. I would toss every hunting thing away and live on a farm if you asked me to. Because nothing as good as you has ever happened to me before and won't ever happen to me again." Emma felt her cheeks burning red and she looked down. She felt 2014-Dean's hand on her chin lightly, pulling her eyes back up to meet his. "That idiot out there won't ever tell you like that - but he thinks it. And that boy is gonna need a mother to save him."

"That boy won't exist if you say yes." Emma said fiercely. She felt tears prickling the sides of her eyes but she didn't let them fall.

"And maybe thats for the better." Emma watched a tear fall down his face and she brushed it away softly. She looked down at the ring in get hand and handed it back to him.

"Keep it," she said, "for when I come back." 2014-Dean took the ring gingerly from her before leaning down, his lips inches from hers before stopping.

"Can I?" he asked in a broken voice.

"Yes." Emma's voice was breathless as she kissed him - a kiss that she could die in, a kiss like this Dean was never going to see her again.

-+s+-

Emma woke up with a start, her body propelling forward into a sitting position. The taste of Dean was still on her lips and she looked around frantically, noticing her Dean lying at her side in a comatose state. He was still in 2014. The hotel was back to normal, besides the knocking on the door.

The man at the door was young and taken aback as Emma opened the door in only Dean's shirt. He stared at her for a moment. "Checkout time is at one ma-ma'am..." he stammered. Emma looked down at her thick watch. 12:45.

"Better charge us one more night." she said shortly.

"I'd need Mr. Dixon's permission." the man said, unsure. He was staring at her legs.

"Im his wife." the man's eyes snapped right back up to her face. It was kinda true. "Go ahead and charges us one more night."

He was barely able to stutter out a yes ma'am before she shut the door. Rolling her eyes, Emma turned to take a shower. Lord knew she needed one.

An hour and a half of scalding hot water later, Emma was starting to worry about Dean. Wrapping a towel around herself, Emma stepped out of the bathroom and looked around the hotel room. He wasn't on the hotel bed. "Dean?"

"How do I know that this whole thing isn't one of your tricks?" Dean's voice was angry coming from the small kitchen. Emma rounded the corner and almost ran into Zachariah's back. She sighed.

"Great."

"Oh look who it is. Did you enjoy your visit? Hows your son?" Emma was overwhelmed by a fit of rage and she crossed her arms over her chest, glaring. "The time for tricks is over." the angel continued, "Give yourself to Michael. Say yes and we can strike. Before Lucifer gets to Sam. Before billions die." Emma looked over at Dean who was staring at Zachariah with a flat face. He took another swig of his beer before making a face and smiling at him.

"Nah." Emma smiled.

Zachariah looked shocked. "'Nah'?" he asked incredulously. "You telling me you havent learned your lesson?" Zachariah's hand flew out and Emma dropped to the floor, shrieking in surprise and pain coming from her stomach. "What about now?!"

Dean came to kneel beside Emma, holding onto her as the pain subsided. Emma gagged. "Oh I've learned a lesson, all right. Just not the one you wanted to teach."

"Well I'll just have to teach it again! Because now I got you, boy, and I'm never letting-"

Emma felt like a hook was being attached to her chest and ripping her a million miles an hour. She wobbled, landing on her knees on pavement. They were on the side of the road. Castiel stood there waiting for them.

"Thats pretty nice timing, Cas." Dean said appreciatively as he pulled Emma to her feet.

"We had an appointment." Cas said matter-of-factly. He looked at Emma and frowned deeply.

"Don't ever change." Dean said to him. He looked back at Emma, who was holding one hand on her stomach,looking down in horror. "What did he do to her?" There was blood on her legs.

Castiel stared at her for a few moments, and Dean suddenly saw grief. "He took her uterus." Cas said suddenly. Dean stared at him in confusion and horror.

"What does that mean?" he demanded.

Emma's breath was ragged. "It means I can't ever have children."

Dean's breathing picked up and he pulled his phone from his pocket. Cas zapped clothes, a pair of sweats, onto Emma's body. Emma looked over at Dean as he dialed a number.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Something I should have done before." Dean replied and put the phone to his ear. "Hey Sam."


	6. Chapter 6 - Pop Rocks and Coke

**Got some wifi! I'm gonna upload this chapter and then try to do another one tonight. Otherwise I'll update as soon as I can. :) Thanks everyone who's being patient - moving out to the desert has been nuts. BUT! Without further ado, here's chapter 6, and as always I would love to know what y'all think. Oh and also thanks again to all the people who have reviewed and sent me messages, I love the feedback and suggestions keep them coming. :)**

 **CHAPTER 6**

Everything felt back to normal, if you could call normal traveling down an old highway running after a ghost or whatever it was this time. Sam Winchester was sitting in the passenger's seat of his brother's Impala. Dean was driving with his head bobbing along with the CDC that was playing out the speakers. Every now and again the brothers would glance back at Emma who was sleeping in the back seat. She was wearing black jeans and a hoodie that was pulled over her head.

"It feels good," Sm said suddenly. "The three of us back at it."

"Yeah." Dean replied earnestly. He glanced back at Emma again. "She seem okay to you?"

"Doctor said it was the cleanest hysterectomy he'd ever seen." Sam said, referencing her discharge papers, "Not even a scar. And she's alive again. It's good to see her alive." he sounded guilty.

"That's not what I mean." Dean replied, wincing. "She really wants kids."

"Cas can't fix her?" Dean shook his head. Sam looked out the window again, "We'll figure it out. We always do. She seemed fine on the hunt. Hunted just like she always does." Dean didn't reply, only nodded his head and kept driving. "So..." Sam said, with a laugh, "we did the wax museum warm up. What are we doing now?"

"Girl's skull is clawed open in Nebraska - I already told you." Dean said with a frown.

"No, I know - I just mean -"

"Look, we all want to find the devil. We all want the colt. Everybody's just as frustrated as Emma that we don't have any leads on Maggie. But in the meantime were gonna do what we always do - work another case. End of discussion."

"Yes, mother." Emma's groggy voice came from the backseat. Dean jumped slightly.

"Hey how you doin'?" he asked, "You feelin' okay?"

Emma rolled her eyes. Take off the kid gloves, baby, they make you look fat." Dean only smiled in return.

-+s+-

"Wait a second, you're telling me she scratched her own brains out?" Emma asked suspiciously. "How?" Emma stood in the Medical Examiner's office, hands smoothing down her pencil skirt. The doctor shrugged and looked down at a young girl in her drawer.

"Pick your acronym - OCD, PCP. It all spells crazy." Emma ade a face at the press on nail missing from Amber Freer's hand. "My guess, some kind of phantom itch. I mean, an extreme case, but still..."

"Phantom itch?" Emma asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Yup." The doctor covered back over the girl's scratched face. "All it takes is someone talking about an itch - or thinking about one." Emma scratched her ear.

"Thanks doctor."

 _"Hey, whatcha got?"_ Sam's voice came on the other end of the phone as Emma's heels clicked against the ground of the parking lot.

"Hey, our girl scratched _herself_ to death it looks like." Emma said as she slid into the rental car. She missed her truck. Missing her truck brought back painful memories, and the knowledge that she still had no leads on the location of her best friend.

"And you'll never believe why." Sam's voice said. Emma smiled. "The kids she was babysitting put itching powder into her hairbrush." He sounded as skeptical as she felt.

"No way," she scoffed, "That shit don't work. It's fake."

"That's what I said." Sam sighed. "I got it right here. Let's test it back at the hotel?"

"Oo yes, chemistry" Emma said in a fake seductive voice.

"Hey!" Dean's voice made her chuckle. "I got some chemistry for you."

"Okay, yeah. Great. Stop." Sam whined. Emma heard a buzzing. "Hang on, Em, someone's calling." Emma put her cigarette out as she waited. "Hey we're gonna head over to the hospital. Looks like someone got electrocuted. Meet you at the hotel?"

"Sounds good." Emma said with a smile and hopped into the car.

To tell you the truth, Emma was just confused lately. Zachariah had taken her ability to have children, but how that was going to make Dean say yes was beyond her. Something else had to be going on here, she just had no idea what it could be. Running her hand through her hair, she sighed at the road ahead of her. Sam had been overjoyed to see her, but not surprised. The wax museum hunt had gone well - it seemed like things were getting back on track, but Emma still found herself checking her phone every few moments to see if she had missed a call or a text. She had started seeing flashes of her friend's red hair, or small figure, or her knowing eyes - even though she knew none of them were there. _Get your shit together,_ she thought as she checked her phone again, and pulled into the hotel parking lot.

When she got into the room, she raised an eyebrow at what the two Winchester boys had set up. Dropping her purse onto the chair, she put her hand on her hip and stared at the aluminum-foil pans sitting on a table, with a large uncooked ham sitting inside. Dean and Sam were both wearing goggles, and Dean had a large pair of rubber gloves on.

"What are you doing?" she asked, when the boys turned to look at her. They smiled.

"We're gonna test the buzzer." Dean said excitedly and Sam handed her a pair of goggles. Emma rolled her eyes and put them on her face, all the while smiling. Dean smiled at her and held up the buzzer.

"You ready?" he asked them.

"Hit it, Mr. Wizard." Sam said, and Emma squinted through the goggles, tensed for whatever was coming next. Dean leaned over the ham and hesitated, the joy buzzer in his hand, before he pressed it into the meat. Emma jumped slightly as electricity crackled and steam rose from it. With wide eyes, Emma and Sam watched as the ham turned black, and Dean removed the buzzer. Sizzling in front of them, Emma and Sam gawked.

"That'll do, pig." Dean said with a grin on his face and Emma raised her eyebrows even higher.

"What the hell?"

"That crap isn't supposed to work." Sam said, in shock. Dean carefully inspected the buzzer.

"This thing doesn't even have batteries." Setting it down on the table, Dean took off his gloves. Emma walked over to inspect the ham, brushing her hair out of her face. "So... so, what? Are we looking at cursed objects?"

"Sounds good," Emma said, with little else to go on. Dean leaned next to her and pulled out his knife, flipping it open and cutting off a piece of ham.

"Maybe there's a powerful witch in town." Dean said as he took a bite of the ham in his hand. Emma made a face, but took the piece that he offered her. In one bite, she ate it, and reached down for more. She reached out a piece to Sam. He shook his head and she shrugged.

"You two are perfect for each other, you know that right?" Sam asked and Emma laughed as Dean nudged her with his shoulder.

"Is there any link between the joy buzzer and the itching powder?" Dean asked as he took the rest of the piece Emma was offering him. She hopped down from the table and rummaged through her bag.

"Uh, one was made in China, the other in Mexico, but they were both bought from the same store." Emma turned on her phone and again sighed at the lack of calls or texts.

"You coming?" Dean asked, pulling her from her thoughts, and Emma shook her head. "You two go ahead." she said, "I gotta make a phone call." The two Winchesters looked at each other and shrugged. Sam walked out the door as Dean came over to give her a quick kiss before going out the door after his brother.

When Emma was alone she sat on her bed, staring at the phone. Slowly, her fingers tapped Maggie's number, and she put the phone up to her ear.

" _Hey! Thanks for calling! I can't pick up right now because I'm out having an adventure, but you know what to do at the beep - or shoot me a text, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can! Thanks!_ " her chipper voice in Emma's ear made her smile, and her voice broke as she spoke into the voicemail machine.

"Hey, it's me... again..." Emma said quietly. "Just checking in. Still missing my uterus. Which is great because no periods but... I feel like there's something important about to happen and I don't know what it is. I could use some of your advice. Look I don't know where you are, or what you're doing, but I know that you gotta be alive. There ain't no other way for this to go. So... if you're getting these, please call me back and let me know you're okay. Maybe you're not top side yet? I don't know - I just ... Maggie I miss you, and I don't know what to do without you." Emma laughed, "You better still be dead or something because now I know how it feels - what I do to you sometime and it sucks. So if you could please get your ass back into my life, you bitch, that'd be great. Or at least let me know you're okay... anyways, I gotta go. The boys and me are working a case in Nevada. Real weird - even for us. I love you Mags, see you soon I hope."

Emma flopped back onto the bed once she'd hung up the phone and stared at the ceiling. Maybe a drink would help. Rummaging in the cooler for a beer, Emma quickly grabbed one and went back to her perch on the bed, the phone sitting in front of her crossed legs.

The ring of her cell phone made her jump. Nearly spilling her beer, she lifted the phone to her ear and asked in a breathlessly excited voice, "Hello?"

"Don't sound so enthusiastic, hurts my ears." Bobby's voice grumbled at her from the other end. Emma sighed, and leaned back against the headboard. She smiled sadly.

"Hey Bobby," she said, "You find anything yet?"

"Not yet, girly." he said. She could hear the squeak of his wheelchair in the background. "Why you ain't come out to see me yet, huh? Since you been topside, you'd think you'd at least give me a visit. What'd the doctor say about your... y'know."

"Said it's gone." she sounded bitter, "I can't have kids, nothin. I still don't understand though, why he would do something like that - Zachariah, I mean. There's no reason other than pissing off Dean and I even more."

"Maybe he wants y'all to crack."

"Yeah well it's gonna take a lot more than that. He won't like us pissed."

Bobby chuckled, "I know it."

"We'll be heading back around soon, I'm sure." Emma said with a smile. "I'll make sure you're our next stop. How's your legs?"

"You tryin' to be funny with me?" Bobby growled, and Emma's twinkling laugh came through on the other end. "You need anything else or did you just call to chat?"

"Just wanted to ask if you'd heard anything. I'll let you know how this case goes."

"You let me know when it's over. Stay safe."

"Yes, sir. Love you, old man."

"Yeah, okay." Bobby had been like a father to Emma since she was 15. He had taught her how to hunt, shoot, and even scared a boyfriend off the porch a time or two. She loved him like a father, and he returned the sentiment. As Emma heard the click of the phone on the other end, she smiled.

Not a moment later, her phone started buzzing again. Rolling her eyes and flipping it open, Emma held it to her ear with her shoulder as she pulled off a high heel. "Hello?"

"Hey, meet us at the hospital?" Sam asked. Emma sat up straighter.

"Everything okay?" she asked, her voice had a tinge of frantic to it. Sam laughed a little on the other end.

"We're fine, just some more weird deaths." Emma huffed and put her high heel back on, grabbing the room key and the car keys before walking out the door.

"Don't ever start a conversation with me with us meeting at the hospital." she said sternly, "At least without some kind of explanation." Emma heard Dean laughing on the other end. "And tell him to shut it."

"Yes ma'am." Sam teased her as she got into her rental car.

"Give me twenty. See you there."

-+s+-

The three hunters met in the hallway of the hotel and stared at each other for a moment. "What's up with toothless? Cavity creeps get ahold of him?" Dean asked.

"Yeah." Sam said as Emma mouthed 'cavity creeps?' at Dean, "Close. He wrote up a description." Sam looked down at his notebook and read: "Five foot ten, three hundred fifty pounds, wings, and a pink tutu." aid it was the tooth fairy."

"I want whatever they're giving him." Emma said with a raised eyebrow.

"Whatever it was that did it got pst locked doors and windows with no alarm."

"Come on, though, tooth fairy?" Dean shook his head.

Sam gave his brother a look, "It left thirty two quarters under his pillow. One for each tooth." Emma raised her eyebrows even higher.

"Well," Dean said nodding, "I will see your crazy and raise you some. There's a couple of kids upstairs with stomach ulcers. Say they got it from mixing Pop Rocks and Coke."

"Uh huh..." Emma said with a smile in Dean's direction, "I will take your raise and also beat you at your own game. This guy two floors up - his face 'froze that way'."

"What way?" Sam asked after a pause. Emma looked around for a moment before putting her hands to her mouth. Ignoring Dean's cry of 'don't!' she pulled her mouth to the sides and crossed her eyes. She held it there for a moment before letting go and tapping her cheeks. Sam let out a little laugh.

"Well it's not the store owner, we know that." he said. Dean smiled, "Dean tried to throw-down an all powerful witch - that had no idea what we were talking about." Emma nodded, impressed.

"You two got a decent amount done today." she said.

"You weren't around to distract us, angel." Dean teased as they turned to leave the hospital.

"Okay," Emma said with an eye roll. "So you add all this up and we got...?" the three of them walked out the door into the evening air. She looked at the boys and nodded, "Nothing."

"I always thought sea monkeys were real." Dean said as Emma lit a cigarette in the parking lot.

"They are," Sam said, confused, "they're brine shrimp."

"No, no, no. I mean like in the ads. You know, like the sea monkey wife cooks pot roast for the sea monkey husband and the sea monkey kids play with the dog in the sea monkey castle. Real." Emma looked at him, "I mean, I was six, but I believed it."

"Okay."

Dean snapped his fingers enthusiastically. "Maybe that's the connection! The Pop Rocks, the tooth fairy, the joy buzzer that shocks you - they're al lies that kids believe."

"And now they're coming true." Sam said.

"Huh," Emma continued, "Okay, so whatever's doing this is... is reshaping reality. It has the powers of a god. Or..."

"Or a trickster." Sam gave them a meaningful look.

"With the sense of humor of a nine year old." Dean shook his head. Sam looked at his brother.

"Or you." Emma laughed.

-+s+-

Sam and Emma left Dean at the hotel, driving down toward the sheriff's station. They had changed into normal clothes and were silent for a few moments as Sam maneuvered the Impala down the street.

"You hungry?" Emma asked as they passed some chicken place. Sam shook his head.

"Why, are you?" he asked hopefully. "You haven't been -"

"Sam, don't." Emma said firmly, "I'm fine I was just asking." Sam looked over at her with great big eyes - he knew how stubborn Emma could be with arguing - but Emma only burst out laughing. "You pouting is not gonna make my stomach want anything more," she said. Sam broke his stare to grin and look back at the road. "I'm really glad you came back, Sammy." she said earnestly.

Sam grinned. "You too, Em." As they pulled into the parking lot of the town's police station, Sam put the Impala in park and turned hi seat to look at her. "You know we gotta talk about it sooner or later."

"No we don't." Emma replied quickly and got out of the car. Sam jumped out his side and cornered her at the front. "Sam, we really don't." Emma said as she pushed her sunglasses on top of her head. "We were all tricked. Ruby got you hooked on that blood, Zacharia let Sara out, you thought you were doing the right thing."

"Emma," Sam said sadly, "I killed you and started the apocalypse. Maggie's gone because of me -" Emma froze and stared at him before shaking her head slightly.

"You keep beating yourself up over something you can't change it'll kill you." Ema said to him seriously. She put her hands on his cheeks. "Take it from someone who knows. We have a problem, we're gonna fix it. This problem just happens to be astronomically bigger than any we've had before."

"Yeah..." Sam mumbled and turned to go into the police station. "That didn't make me feel any better." Emma reached up on her toes and ruffled his hair.

By the time the two got back, it looked like Dean was working on a sandwich. "Really dude? Still with the ham?" Sam asked as Emma kissed Dean on the cheek. Dean held out his hands.

"We got no fridge!" Dean exclaimed as Sam took off his backpack and pulled out the maps.

"Well," Emma said as she rolled out one of the maps on the table, "While you were here - doing whatever you're doing - we found something."

"So did I," Dean grinned as his hand moved up her leg. She swatted it away, with an 'ew, pig'. "Hey!" Dean teased, holding up his sandwich, "Show some respect!"

"Show _you_ some respect?" Emma huffed at him. Dean and Emma were known to constantly fight with each other over the tiniest of things. Sam Winchester felt more like a referee in his life than a hunter sometimes.

"Anyway!" Sam cried, coming out of the bathroom. He pointed to the stars Emma had drawn on the map. "This is where all of our incidences happened - you got joy buzzer, itching powder, pop rocks, and all the others." Emma took out her pen and connected the all within a circle.

"So this is our blast zone." she said, "All within a two mile radius."

"And the A-bomb in the middle?" Sam looked over at his brother.

"Four acres of farmland, and a house." the three of them exchanged a glance.

"Our hotel in that circle?" Dean asked. Emma nodded her head.

"Yeah, why?" Dean blanched and held up his hand, showing her a palm covered in hair. Sam sighed and looked away as Emma made a face and stood up.

"Dude..." Dean put his hand back down.

"What? I was bored. You're really hot when you eat ham." he said with a grin. Emma groaned.

"You know you can go blind from that, too." she said. Dean went pale.

"Give me five minutes - we'll go check out that house." he said as he walked toward the bathroom. Emma sighed and flopped down onto the hotel bed.

"Hey do not use my razor!" Sam shouted. Emma laughed.

Little did she know her phone was buzzing away five feet from her hand, with a very important phone call that she was missing.


	7. Chapter 7 - Jesse

**Hey everyone! Hope y'all enjoy! Let me know how this story is going. I've been a little worried but hopefully it's just a little bit of writer's block.**

 **CHAPTER 7**

Emma's phone was sticking out of her back pocket, unchecked, as she leaned forward and stared at the house that she and the Winchester boys were parked across the street from. "Whaddaya think's in there?" she wondered aloud. The brothers looked at each other and shrugged, before the three of them climbed out of the car. They would find out soon.

Emma Gordon tucked her gun into the back of her belt, adjusting her blazer over it as Dean checked for the demon killing knife in his own belt. As they approached the front door, the three of them glanced around before Sam kneeled down to pick the lock. Emma turned toward the street to keep a lookout, and the opening of the door made her turn around. What she saw there was not what she was expecting. Taken aback, she and the others stood in front of a small boy standing at the doorway. Emma almost couldn't believe her eyes, until the boy asked them: "Can I help you?"

"Hi!" Sam said, surprised himself, "Uh... what's your name?" The boy gave the three of them a look.

"Who wants to know?" he asked. Emma reached into her back pocket but Dean beat her to it.

"The, uh..." he said as he fumbled with it. You'd think they'd never seen a kid before, "The FBI." Sam and Emma held up their badges behind him. The boy gave them another glaring look, and reached out his hand.

"Let me see that." he demanded and took the badge out of Dean's hand. He examined it before handing it back. Sam and Emma exchanged a glance before putting their own badges away. "So, what, you guys don't knock?" Emma fought the urge to chuckle, silenced by a glare from Sam. She liked this kid.

"Are your parents home?" Dean asked, in his 'authority voice'.

"They work."

"Well, do you mind if we ask you a few questions, maybe take a look around the house?" Emma smiled at the kid in reassurance.

"I don't know," the boy said, unsure.

"Come on," Dean said with a smile, "You can trust us. We're the authorities." Emma chuckled under her breath as the boy looked at him, unimpressed, before turning on his heel and walking back into the house. He left the door open and the three followed him inside. The interior of the house was as clean as a working parent system could be. Orderly was the word Emma would use for it. On the boy's heels, the three of them followed the boy into the kitchen, where something was bubbling on the stove. Dean and Emma leaned against the wall, looking around as Sam stepped into the room.

"What's that?" he asked, trying to make conversation. The kid looked at Sam and frowned.

"It's called soup." Emma made a small choking sound as she tried to hold back another laugh. Dean smiled. "You heat it up and you eat it." Sam chuckled nervously.

"Right, I... I know. It's just," he fumbled with his words, "um... I used to make my own dinner too, when I was a kid."

"Well I'm not a kid." Dean, a smile still stuck on his face, turned to look at the refrigerator. Nudging Emma on the shoulder, he pointed to the door. Hanging on the front was a child's drawing - Emma glanced at Dean sharply, before back down at the kid as Sam continued to fumble with his words. The drawing was of an overweight man, in a pink tutu and a pair of wings. Rolling her eyes and stepping forward before she had to watch Sam's train wreck any further, Emma walked forward and knelt in front of the kid.

"Hey there," she said. Her initial instinct was to make her voice higher, and smile wider, but she didn't think he would like that. "I'm Amy," she said. "What was your name?"

"I'm Jesse." Jesse said, and took Emma's outstretched hand. She felt her skin on his, and again was surprised by the lack of intrusive thoughts.

"Hey Jesse nice to meet you," she pointed her hand behind her, "Over there that's Robert, and Tom. Don't pay any attention to them, they like to think they're cool." Dean and Sam looked offended, but it was the first time Emma had seen Jesse crack a smile since they showed up.

"Are you a cowgirl?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at her. Emma laughed. "You sound like one."

"That's a secret."

"Did you draw this?" Dean cut them off as he walked over with the drawing. Jesse nodded.

"It's the tooth fairy."

"That's what you think the tooth fairy looks like, huh?" Dean asked, amused.

Jesse frowned, "Yeah. My dad told me about him." he watched as Dean and Sam glanced at each other. "What, didn't your dad tell you about the tooth fairy?" Emma rose to her feet.

"My dad?" Dean said through a chuckle, "My dad told me different stories."

"Well the tooth fairy isn't a story."

"My dad did." Emma said, a tinge of pain in her voice that Dean picked up on immediately. He looked at her protectively. Jesse looked up at her and nodded.

"What do you know about itching powder, Jesse?" Sam asked. Jesse's eyes went wide and he took a step back. Emma watched the enthusiastically horrified kid with a tinge of amusement.

"That stuff will make you scratch your brains out!" he said seriously. Emma glanced at Dean.

"Pop Rocks and Coke?" she asked.

"You mix them, and you'll end up in the hospital. Everyone knows that."

Dean pulled the joy buzzer out of his coat pocket and held it up. Emma noted as Jesse backed up a couple steps and stood half behind her. It disturbed her.

"You shouldn't have that."

"Why not?"

"It can electrocute you." Jesse said seriously.

Dean shook his head. "Actually, it can't. It's just a wind up toy. It's totally harmless. Doesn't even have batteries." Jesse looked from Dean to Sam to Emma. Emma shook her head at him, indicating that Dean was right.

"So it can't shock you?"

"Nope. Not at all. I swear."

Jesse sighed and looked at them all again before shrugging his shoulders. "Oh. Okay."

"All it does is just shake in your hand." Emma said as she turned a bit to look at Jesse.

"It's kind of lame." Dean said, looking at it in his hand, "See?"

Emma didn't even have a second to yell "don't!" before Dean pressed the joy buzzer to Sam's chest. Emma held her breath, but after a moment of listening to it buzz against his shirt, nothing happened. Sam was stiff, staring at Dean murderously. Dean looked down at the buzzer in his hand before back down at the boy.

"What did you say your name was again?"

"What the hell?!" Sam was shouting as they crossed the street back to the Impala. Emma glanced back at the house, looking up at Jesse watching them walk away. She raised her hand to him in a wave, which he returned.

"I had a hunch." Dean said, shrugging, "I went with it." Sam rounded to the other side of the car, looking at his brother with the hardest glare she'd ever seen.

"You risked my ass on a hunch?" he asked incredulously.

"You're fine." Dean said.

"Dean," Emma lifted her eyebrow, "Apologize. Let's move on." Dean rolled his eyes and opened the car door.

"Okay I'm sorry. Besides, now we know who's turning this town into Willy Wonka's worst nightmare."

"The kid." Emma said, standing by the open door about to climb in.

"Yeah, everything Jesse believes in comes true. He thinks the tooth fairy looks like Belushi, uh, joy buzzers really shock people, boom, that's what happens."

"Yeah," Sam nodded, "but convince him the joy buzzers don't actually work, and they go from killing machines back into crap toys."

"He probably doesn't even know he's doing it." Emma glanced at the house again before climbing into the back seat of the Impala. Dean climbed in and closed the door. "How is he doing it?"

-+s+-

Emma was lying on her back on the hotel bed, humming to herself, as Dean sat down next to her, a book in his hand. Emma didn't acknowledge him there - as she hadn't done since they had gotten to the hotel. She knew he wanted to talk to her, but Emma was content to brood in her own thoughts. She didn't want to have a fight anyways.

Not that that was going to last very long.

"So," Sam said as he came in through the door. Emma opened her eyes and took out one of her headphones as Dean dropped the book next to her on the bed. "Dug up what I could on Jesse Turner. It's not much - B student, won last year's Pinewood Derby. But get this - Jesse was adopted." Emma nodded her head, "His birth records are sealed."

"So you unsealed them, and?"

"There's no father listed, but Jesse's biological mom is named Julia Wright. She lives in Elk Creek, on the other side of the state." Dean nodded, before standing up and grabbing his gun off the table.

"Let's go then."

"I'm gonna stay here and keep an eye on the kid." Emma said. She stood up herself, and went to grab something out of her bag. "Just in case anything else goes on." Sam was nodding, but Dean viciously shook his head.

"No you're not." he said firmly. Emma froze where she stood and turned on her heel, lifting her eyebrows at Dean. Just as she was putting her hand on her hip, Sam backed away from her. Dean blinked as she stared at him for a moment.

"I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that." she said finally, and turned back around to her bag. Dean came walking over to the bag and stood next to her.

"I just don't think it's a good idea." he said defensively. Emma stood up taller again and rounded on him.

"You don't think what's a good idea, Dean?" she said loudly, "Me being around a kid? Why, because I can't have them anymore? Because what I've wanted more than anything is to get out of this life and raise my own kid right?" Dean didn't back up a step, even when she stood closer to his chest, "What, you think I'm gonna kidnap him? Break down? What exactly do you think is going to happen if you let me near kids?" before Dean could respond, she continued yelling, "You've been keeping me from kids since all of this happened! Back the fuck off!"

"I'm trying to help you, here." Dean's yelling overlapped over her own, "Oh, yeah totally Emma, I think you're gonna kidnap a kid! Cut me some slack will you, I'm trying!"

"Back off!" Emma shouted again and pushed Dean in the chest. Sam had vacated the room. Dean stumbled back a step and huffed at her.

"How am I supposed to know what to do if you don't talk to me about any of it?" he asked, his voice turned down just a notch. Emma narrowed her eyes at him.

"I don't need you to do anything." she said and grabbed her bag, slamming her way out the door and into the rental car. She heard Dean slamming the door behind her as she slammed her own car door. With a loud revving of the engine, mirrored behind her by the Impala, Emma's tires squealed, and she was out and onto the road.

Turning the opposite direction from her were the Winchester brothers, sitting in the front seat of the car and squirming in the tenseness that filled the air. Dean finally huffed, turning off the radio, and turned to look at his brother. "You're insightful," he said, "So insight - what's eating her?"

Sam shrugged his shoulders and looked out the window, "You used the word 'insight' wrong," he started but quieted that train of thought when he saw the look that Dean was giving him. "I don't know, Dean. You can be... overbearing... sometimes."

"Overbearing?" Dean asked, "I'm protective, sure, but overbearing? It's always been my job to protect the people around me. I need to protect you and I need to protect her. That's my job."

"Nobody made that your job, Dean." Sam said, and cut his brother off before he could argue. "And I'm not saying you don't do a good job, I'm just saying that Emma is fiercely independent. She leaves because she doesn't like feeling like she's trapped. So just back off her for a bit. If she was having a real problem, she would say something."

"No, if she was having a real problem, she would leave."

That's exactly what Emma was debating doing, as she sat fuming in the rental car hours later. She had watched Jesse's parents come home late, each patting him on the head as they walked in the door. They didn't seem to give him a lot of other attention, though, but Emma didn't think about that. She found herself missing the days when she could pick up and go if she wanted to. But being attached to someone like Dean wasn't too bad - normally. With a sigh, Emma leaned her head on the steering wheel.

Struck with the memory of the phone in her back pocket, Emma pulled it out and flipped open the screen. Startled to find a missed call from a number she didn't recognize, Emma hit the voicemail button, waiting for the voice to tell her what she had missed.

Instead of listening to the message, her phone began ringing in her ear. Pulling it away in confusion, she looked down and saw Sam's name. With a roll of her eyes she put the phone to her ear.

"Yeah?" she asked. She immediately knew something was wrong.

"Get in the house!" Sam was saying over the noise of the Impala engine. "Castiel is coming - says Jesse's the son of a demon - says he's gonna kill the kid. Something about -" Emma didn't hear the rest of what Sam was saying before she dropped the phone in the seat beside her, and flew out of the car and toward the front door of the house.

"Jesse?!" she yelled as she pushed the door open. The house was quiet, but she heard the smashing of a glass in the next room.

"Amy?" his voice called. Emma rushed into the room and she threw herself in front of the kid as she saw Castiel stepping toward him.

"Don't worry," Cas said to her, "I won't hurt him." Emma glared fiercely and shook her head. Cas sighed, realizing she knew exactly what he was there for. Emma's eyes flickered to Castiel's hand, and fixed her stance in front of him. He advanced. She knew that he could knock her out with a touch, and just hoped that she would be able to hold them off until

"Mom! Dad!" Jesse cried. Emma continued to stare at Castiel.

"Your mother and father are sleeping. I assure you, they won't wake until morning."

"What are you doing here?" she asked, "This is your solution?"

"I'm sure the Winchesters will explain it." Cas said. Now he was standing in front of her. "I'm sorry." he said and lifted his fingers to her forehead. She closed her eyes, bracing herself from the fall to the ground.

Emma didn't have time to contemplate why she wasn't sleeping, when she opened her eyes to a startled Castiel. With a wave of emotion: anger, confusion, but mostly protectiveness, Emma threw her hands out to push Castiel away from the boy. A flash of white light came from her hands and threw Cas across the room.

"Whoa..." Jesse whispered and backed up toward the wall. Cas appeared in front of Emma again, his brows constricted in confusion, and Emma again raised her hands up, this time bringing a picture frame across Cas's cheek. Castiel reached his hands out and flew her across the room into the wall, watching as she crashed to the ground again, a trickle of blood running down the back of her neck.

"Amy?!"

"I'm sorry..." Castiel said again and turned from her, raising the knife above the small boy's head.

Emma blinked a number of times before everything went black.

"Was there a guy here?" Dean exclaimed as he came through the door. The first thing he saw was Emma leaned against the wall, blood running down the front of her neck, from somewhere on the back of her head. "In a trenchcoat?" Sam rushed over to put his fingers on Emma's neck, and went to lightly slapping her cheeks. Jesse pointed at the floor, where a small action figure was sitting. The figure was wearing Castiel's suit and trenchcoat, holding a silver knife over his head. Dean, his eyes wide, knelt down to pick it up. Dean glanced from Emma to the figure to the kid standing in front of him.

What had happened here?

 **Kinda short, but it was what I could get up today. Hopefully you liked the new twist, let me know!**


	8. Chapter 8 - White Light

**I wrote two new chapters over the past week or so :) They should both be up tonight so if you're feeling like this is too much of a cliffhanger don't worry.**

 **CHAPTER 8**

It was hour before Emma woke up, her head throbbing. She was lying on a couch, a pillow propped under her head. Groaning, she sat up to the sound of voices.

"Was he your friend?" Jesse.

"Him?" Dean's voice. "No." There was a moment of pause.

"But I did that, how did I do that?" The voices in the room stopped when all three of them looked over to see Emma struggling to sit up on the couch. Dean rushed over to her side, grabbing onto her arm. She swatted him away.

"You okay?" he asked, his voice a pitch higher than usual. Emma nodded her head, leaning her forehead into her hands.

"I'm fine." she said and waved her hand over to the boy who was looking at her with wide eyes. "You okay?" she asked in a thick voice. Jesse nodded, but handed her a small action figure. With wide eyes, Emma looked from Jesse to the brothers. Sam nodded his head.

"How did you do this?" she asked. Dean cut in.

"You're a superhero." he said, his eyebrows high. Emma gave Dean a sidelong glance.

"I am?"

"Yeah!" Dean continued and sat down. Sam looked over at Emma, who nodded that she was alright, "Yeah. I mean, who else could turn someone into a toy? You're Superman - minus the cape and the go-go boots. See, my partners and I, we work for a secret government agency. It's our job to find kids with special powers. In fact, we're here to take you to a hidden base in South Dakota, where you'll be trained to fight evil."

"Like the X-Men?" Jesse asked, his eyes wide. Dean nodded.

"Exactly like the X-Men." Dean laughed a bit under his breath, and Emma smiled a little, "In fact the guy we're taking you to - he's even in a wheelchair. You'll be a hero!" Jesse looked over at Emma and stared at her for a moment.

"Like her?" Emma's eyes widened. "I saw what you did to that man. The one with the knife. Did you go to the secret place?" Dean looked over at her, his eyebrows nearly meeting in the middle of his forehead. She just looked back at him and Sam meaningfully.

"I did." she said, still staring at Dean. "The man in the wheelchair, he's kind of like my dad. Taught me everything I know."

"C'mon kid," Dean said, back to his pitch, "You'll save lives. You'll get the girl. Sounds like fun, right?" Jesse was just about to open his mouth as Dean was flung back against the wall. Emma stood up onto her feet, ignoring the pounding in her head and the slight sway in her step. Turning toward the door, she saw a woman come in, her eyes black as night. Demon.

"They're lying to you." the demon said. Emma backed up a couple steps toward Jesse just as Sam was standing up. With a wave of her hand, the demon flung Sam against the wall as well.

"Stay right there, dreamboat." the demon smiled at Sam, "Can't hurt you. Orders." she looked over at Dean, "You, on the other hand? Hurting you's encouraged." she flung her hand again and Emma cried out as Dean flung from one wall to the other, crying out along the way.

"Hey!" Emma shouted. The demon looked over at her and looked her up and down.

"Wait your turn. Killing you is pretty much what everyone wants - nice and slow."

"Leave her alone!" Jesse shouted from his spot standing by the wall of the living room. The demon turned her head and looked at him.

"Jesse," the demon said in a sweet voice, "You're beautiful!" Emma stepped forward, her heart frozen in fear and anger. "You have your father's eyes."

"Who are you?" Jesse asked, confused.

"I'm your mother." the woman said.

"No you're not."

"Mm-hm." the demon said, "You're half human - half one of us."

"She means demons, Jesse!" Emma cried, and dropped to the ground in pain as a tight feeling began in the pit of her stomach. She dropped to one knee.

"Those people you call your parents - they lied to you." Jesse was shaking his head, scared.

"My mom and dad love me." he said defensively. Emma felt her heart tug, and not from the demon's power that was pulling on her muscles.

"Do they?" the demon growled, "Is that why they leave you alone all day? Because they love you so much? These people—these imposters—they told you that the tooth fairy was real and that your toys could hurt you and a hundred other things that aren't true. They love you so much, they made your whole life a lie. Look into your heart, Jesse. You've always known you weren't theirs. You've always known you were different. Everyone has lied to you. They're not FBI agents. And you're not a superhero."

There was a pause in the room, penetrated only by Emma's and the Winchester brother's hard breathing.

"Then what am I?" Jesse asked after a moment.

"You're powerful. You can have anything you want. You can do anything you want." the demon smiled.

"Don't listen to her, Jesse!" Emma cried out as the demon held her hand out and caused Dean to groan in pain.

"Leave him alone!"

The demon smiled, "They treated you like a child. Nobody trusted you. Everybody's lied to you. Doesn't that make you angry?" Emma watched as Jesse clenched his fists, the room rattling around them. Emma watched as the fire in the fireplace flared, and the lights around them began to flicker. "See?" the demon smiled, "It does make you angry. But I'm telling you the truth, Jesse." Emma tried to fight against the pain that was developing in her gut, trying to once again call on that white power she knew was somewhere inside of her. Emma heard the sound of shattering glass around her. "Wouldn't it be better if there were no lies? Come with me and you can wash it all clean. Start over. Imagine that - a world without lies."

"She's right," Sam gasped out from the wall, "We lied to you." the demon's eyes turned black and she turned to Sam. Emma fell to the ground as another wave of pain rushed over her body, from her brain to her fingers. Everything hurt. It was getting to be too much. "But I'll tell you the truth." Emma heard something crunch, and she listened as Sam gasped for breath.

"No!" she cried out, but it only came out a whisper, "We just want to tell -"

"Stop it." Jesse's voice came out as a command. Sam dropped to the ground, gasping. Emma suddenly felt the pain leave her body, and she rolled over, groaning. "I want to hear what he has to say."

"You're stronger than I thought," the demon said in awe.

"We lied to you. And I'm sorry." Sam said as he struggled to his feet. "So here's the truth. I'm Sam Winchester. That's my brother, Dean. This is Emma Gordon." Sam pulled Emma to her feet. She glanced over at Dean with wide, worried eyes. He nodded once at her. He was okay.

"We hunt monsters." Emma said gently. "That's our job."

"And that woman right there," Sam said, "her name is Julia. She's your mother. But the thing inside of her, the thing that you're talking to - it's a demon."

"A demon?"

"She's a monster, Jesse. She wants you to go with her and be happy? What kind of creature could be happy by hurting other people?"

"They've done nothing but lie to you since the moment you met them." the demon snarled, "Don't listen to her - punish them!" Jesse turned his head toward the demon standing there. He glared.

"Sit down and shut up." Emma watched in awe as a chair flew from the other side of the room and hit the demon's legs, forcing her into the chair. He turned back and met Emma's eyes. "Tell me more."

"There's this…" she faltered.

"There's, uh, kind of a war between angels and demons, and … you're a part of it." Sam picked up for her.

"I'm just a kid."

Sam sighed, "You can go with her if you want. I can't stop you. No one can. But if you do… millions of people will die."

"She said I was half demon, is that true?" Jesse asked. He was scared.

"Yes," Emma said earnestly and knelt down in front of him. She took his hands in hers. "But you're half human, too. You can do the right thing. You've got choices, Jesse." she reached up and put one hand on his face, listening as Dean made a small sound. "But if you make the wrong ones, it'll haunt you for the rest of your life." Jesse pulled his hands out of hers and backed up.

"Why are you telling me this?!" he cried, looking from Emma to Sam.

"Because I have to believe someone can make the right choice, even if I couldn't." Sam said quietly. Emma looked over her shoulder at him and stared for a few moments. When she turned back around, Jesse was looking at her.

"You're a good kid," she said with a smile, "You don't have to be the monster she wants you to be." The boy stood there and stared at her, thinking hard. Emma didn't dare speak. Finally, he clenched his small fist and looked at the demon.

"Get out of her." he said calmly.

Emma was almost thrown back with the force she felt in the air. The chair that the demon was in flew back and hit the wall. Black smoke poured out of Julia's mouth, vanishing up the chimney. Emma rushed to Dean as he dropped to the ground, panting.

"You okay?"

"Yeah." Dean turned and looked at Jesse. "How did you do that?" he asked incredulously.

Jesse frowned, "I just did." Dean smiled as Emma leaned on his side.

"Kid… you're awesome."

-+s+-

Emma was seated on the couch, Dean standing beside her. Jesse was seated next to Emma, her hand on his shoulder. "Is she gonna be alright?" Jesse asked, looking over at Julia who was slumped in the chair.

Dean looked over at Julia and sighed. "Eventually." Dean leaned down and picked up the Castiel action figure, looking down at it in his hand. Emma took it from his hand and looked it over. "Look, uh, truth is, he's kind of a buddy of mine. Is there any way you could turn him back?"

Jesse looked at Dean sharply. "He tried to kill me."

"Right, but… uh… he was just confused. He's a good guy." Jesse looked over at Emma, and she shrugged at him. He said nothing. "We'll talk about that... later."

Jesse sighed and leaned a little against Emma's side. She looked down at him. "What now?" he said as he looked at her.

"Now? Now we take you someplace safe." she said softly.

"Get you trained up," Dean said with a smile. "You'd be handy in a fight kid."

"What if I don't want to fight?" Emma ran her hand over his hair.

"Jesse," Sam said quietly and came to sit in front of Jesse, "You're powerful. More powerful than… pretty much anything we've ever seen. That makes you -"

"A freak."

"No." Emma shook her head.

"To some people, maybe." Sam cut her off, "But not to us. See, we're kind of freaks ourselves." Dean smiled and tightened his hold on Emma's shoulder for a moment.

"I can't stay here, can I?" Jesse asked, his voice small. Emma frowned.

"No, honey." she said, "The demons know where you are, and more will be coming."

"I won't go without my mom and dad." Jesse said as he stood up. Sam ran his hand through his hair.

"There's nothing more important than family. We get that. And if you really want to take them with you, we'll back your play. But you got to understand, it's gonna be dangerous for them, too."

"Our dad died, a demon killed him. And he took us everywhere he went." Dean said. Emma stayed quiet, looking at the ground. "Look, Jesse, once you're in this fight. You're in it til the end, win or lose."

"We can't tell you what you should do," Emma said. Jesse turned his eyes to look at her, "It's your choice. And it's not fair, I know." Jesse stared at her for a moment.

"Will you be there?"

"Every step of the way." she said with a smile. She handed him a small card. "That's my phone number, though, in case I ever need to leave you." Jesse looked down at the card and nodded his head before slipping it into his pocket.

"Can I go see my parents?" Jesse asked, "I need to say goodbye."

Dean nodded, "Sure." Emma watched as Jesse climbed the stairs. She ran one hand over her forehead, leaning back against the back of the couch. "Hey," Dean said as he leaned over her, "Your head okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Emma said without opening her eyes. She brushed his hand away as he tried to touch it.

"What was Jesse talking about? What white light?" Emma quickly filled the brothers in on the strange events that had happened just an hour before. Dean's frown increased more and more as he sat down on the arm of the couch next to her.

"Some kind of angel powers?"

"Something like that is what I'm assuming." Emma said, shaking her head in confusion.

"This is the… uh… angel radiation you were talking about." Emma turned quickly to see Castiel standing behind them. "If you don't learn to control them now, your powers will get out of control. You need me to help you." Emma narrowed her eyes.

"I'll take my chances for now, thanks." she said. "Where's Jesse?"

"He's gone." Emma jumped to her feet. "We can't find him, unless he wants to be found. He changed everyone back. I can't sense him." Without saying anything to the angel or the brothers, Emma turned on her heel and walked out the door of Jesse's house.

"I don't think she wants to talk to you," she heard Dean saying and the flutter of angel wings alerted her to the fact that the angel was gone.

The Impala was speeding down the road, Emma's head leaning down on the front seat.

"You think Jesse's gonna be okay?" she asked, worry tinged in her voice.

"I hope so." Sam said with a sigh, looking out the window.

"You know," Dean said, "we destroyed that kid's life by telling him the truth."

"We didn't have a choice, Dean." Sam defended.

"Yeah." Dean didn't sound too sure, "You know, I'm starting to get why parents lie to their kids. You want them to believe that the worst thing out there is mixing Pop Rocks and Coke—protect them from the real evil. You want them going to bed feeling safe. If that means lying to them, so be it. The more I think about it...the more I wish Dad had lied to us."

Sam sighed again. "Yeah, me too."

The three rode in silence, Emma staring out the back window. She thought back on Castiel's words, soon after pulling her from the grave. " _Your soul draws energy from things. That's why you had those demonic powers."_ Like a radioactive effect. She had been so close to pure angel forms on her way down from heaven - and she just wondered if this was the last of her new power.

All her later life, Emma had been used to feeling like a freak. Over and over again she had found herself sympathizing with Sam, understanding his own inner turmoil. They hunted things that could do what she did. Blowing air out her nose in a frustrated huff, Emma again reached for her phone. The small voicemail box blinked at her. "You have one unheard message." a familiar female voice said in her ear, "First unheard message…" As Emma listened, her eyes were wide - her hands began to shake. She played the message twice, just to be sure. Dean glanced in the rearview mirror and frowned.

"You okay?" he asked.

"How long are we from Bobby's?" Emma asked, her voice quiet.

"About 12 hours." Dean said, his attention peaked. "Emma, why?"

Luke Warren's voice had been incredibly calm. " _Emma. This is Luke. I just heard the news about Maggie. Y'know… I told her not to get involved in your devil shit - but I'm just the ex boyfriend. What do I know? Turns out I know a lot, don't I?"_ There was a pregnant pause in the car, mirroring that in the message. Dean and Sam exchanged glances. " _Let me tell you some other things I know. I know this is aaaaalll your fault. I know where Bobby Singer lives. I know you love that man. I know that if you're not there when I get there - killing him's gonna be a real close second."_ Emma felt her chest constrict, breath rising and heaving, her stomach suddenly tossing and turning. " _See you soon, Emma."_ As the woman told her that that was the end of her message, Emma felt her phone drop onto her lap.

"No." was the first thing anyone in the car said. It was Emma's broken voice. She shook her head vigorously as she called Luke's number back.

"We're sorry. This number has been disconnected. Please try again later. Goodbye."

 **The box is right there! Please review!**


	9. Chapter 9 - Hurt

**Let me know what you think!**

 **CHAPTER 9**

If he weren't so worried, Dean would spend a few more moments thinking about how hot it was watching Emma handle his baby like a pro. She waved in between cars, ignoring honks as she flew out of the next big city. With a tire screeching merge over, they flew north toward Sioux Falls. Sam sat in the backseat, white knuckled. Whether that was from Emma's driving or worrying about Bobby, Dean didn't know.

If he were being honest here, Dean was incredibly worried about this woman he had grown to love. She was difficult, independent (annoyingly so), and loud mouthed but as God his witness (if He's still around) he loved her. Between the blow Zachariah had dealt to her future plans, this white light whatever it was, and now Bobby's new danger, it was a wonder she hadn't snapped. He thought about her reaction to the bullet holes and dried blood on his chair in 2014 and willed his baby to go just a little bit faster.

Emma hadn't really prayed since she was small. She had been to church, believed, ut every time she was faced with a moment to speak to God, she found she had nothing to say. She didn't eve have it in her to be angry anymore. She knew that Castiel was spending a lot of time looking for Him, but Emma wasn't putting any money down on this one. Despite her awkward relationship with Him, Emma found herself bargaining. If He could keep Bobby safe, shed do anything He wanted. Please just keep Bobby safe.

Sam was thinking about Maggie. Emma had told him about their findings in 2014 (although he felt like there were things she was hiding from him). Maggie was alive then – but when she was actually coming back, none of them knew. Where she was right now, none of them acutally knew. Sam could remember her face as something unseen pulled her into Lucifer's pit. Her red hair flew from side to side and her scream still echoed in his mind. Most days, Sam felt physically sick with guilt when her name was mentioned Tonight was most definitely no exception.

"Left right here," Dean said as Emma sped toward Bobby's yard. Emma shot him a look.

"I know." With the flying of gravel, Emma floored it down the driveway to the front of Bobby Singer's house. Without even turning off the Impala, the three flew out of her and raced to Bobby's front door.

Dean watched as Emma's hands shook as she fumbled for er keys. Sam banged on the front door. "Bobby!" he cried. Dean had his gun pointed at the door.

"Ya idjits!" Emma stumbled in relief, the muscles she didn't know she was clenching suddenly loosening. The door swung open and atired looking Bobby, seated in a wheelchair, sat glaring at them with a shotgun in his lap. "What did I tell ya about speedin' on my property? If I've … Emma?" the woman had leaned forward, collapsint to her knees next to the man she could comfortably call a father. She threw her arm around his neck. One of his hands clasped her arm and listened to her fast breathing begin to slow. His eyes narrowed as he felt her begin to shake.

"You boys better tell me what's going on." Bobby said, looking at Sam. Dean was looking out at the yard.

"Yeah..." Sam said, his breathing fast, "Let's go inside."

-+s+-

In all the years Dean and Sam had known Bobby, they had never seen him to be as nurturing as he was being toward the blonde that was lying on his couch, her eyes closed. Dean watched as Bobby's hand ran over her hair, almost jealous at how accepting she was at this affection she always brushed away from him.

"I ain't runnin' away from no Luke Warren." Bobby said firmly. Emma's eyes opened slowly and she looked at the ground. "In fact, I got another case for the three of you – friend of mine called about –"

"We're not leaving." Emma said. Her brows were set as she sat up and looked at Bobby. "We're not leaving you here when there's danger."

"I can handle myself, girl." Bobby told her. Emma rolled her eyes. "Don't do that. I don't need no babysitters to look after me. And I sure as shit ain't gonna have you here when you're the one he's after."

"I'm not leaving." Emma said again. Bobby ran a hand of his hat. The brothers looked at each other. Bobby Singer knew how stubborn Emma could be. For the longest time, Bobby had tried to keep her home to man the phones. She had snuck out at 16 on a hunt anyways.

"Bobby, I think it's a good idea to stick around – at least for a day or two." Sam said, his hands in his pockets. Dean was quiet, looking at Emma.

"Is this because of the chair?" Bobby said loudly, defensively. "I think I've done okay –"

"It has nothing to do with the damn chair, Bobby!" Emma shouted, jumping to her feet. "You have to sleep, right? And what happens when you do? Luke's a coward. He's not going to take you on face to face. Me? He will. I'm not gonna let this happen. Not Maggie and now you." Bobby stared at her, her hands on her hips. There was a silence until finally Bobby sighed.

"You're the most difficult person I've ever met." Emma smiled a little bit.

"Good." She said as she pulled her gun out of her belt. "I'll take the first watch." The three men watched as Emma turned on her heel and went out to sit on the porch. Dean stood in silence before huffing his breath and making his way toward the door.

"Boy." Bobby said, making Dean halt. "I wanna talk to you."

"Yes sir."

Sam sighed, "I'll go out there." He said and walked out the door. Emma was seated in a chair, her feet up on a small table. She was smoking a cigarette and staring out into the night.

"Did Dean send you?" she asked wryly as Sam took a seat beside her.

"No." he said simply, "I just wanted to see if you were okay." Emma hummed in response. The two sat in silence before Sam cleared his throat and turned to look at Emma. "Hey," he said, "Why did Maggie break up with Luke, anyways?" Emma put out her cigarette and scratched her ear before responding.

"He wanted out of hunting," she said, "wanted them to quit, get married, go to college. Maggie wasn't willing."

"Because of the apocalypse stuff?"

Emma shook her head, "I don't think Maggie ever wanted to stop. We used to talk about the future and I'd always be talking about a farmhouse or kids I could send to college…" her voice trailed off for a second before she continued, "but Maggie was always thinking about the job. She had these ideas for sectioned off zones to more efficiently hunt. She wanted to mass produce a colt – wanted it to be called 'The Maggie' or something. I don't think she ever wanted to quit." Sam thought about it for a while as Emma lit another cigarette.

"Was she happy?"

Emma shook her head, "No. But she liked the job." She took a long drag and blew smoke into the air.

"What's eatin' the two of you?" Bobby asked as he swallowed the rest of his beer. Dean was leaned against the kitchen counter.

"Nothin', Bobby, she's just-"

"She's just what?" Bobby asked gruffly. "She's been through the ringer her whole life is what she is, and now she's lost her friend."

"I know that," Dean said defensively, "I don't know how to help her. She's just shut down."

"It takes Emma some time," Bobby said. "When she first was brought here she barely said a word. Took me a long time to get to her. And twelve years later I still don't know how to be what she needs."

"What does she need?" Dean cried out, "I have no idea what I'm doing, Bobby!"

"Nobody does," Bobby replied simply. "I was married to my wife for a long time and never really got the hang of it. It's a game, boy. Get used to it. Or get out of it and save my girl the heartache."

-+s+-

Dean was walking around the house as Luke Warren was slyly slipping up the path through the old cars. He slid himself up to the wall of Bobby Singer's house as he watched Dean Winchester turn the corner. He was just below Emma Gordon's bedroom.

Emma came out of the bathroom in cotton sorts and a long tshirt, towel drying her hair as she hummed a country tune to herself. Quietly, she bent over her vanity, selecting one of the knives spread across it to sleep with. She was so wrapped in her thoughts, she didn't hear the figure slip through her window; didn't see him until he was standing behind her and shoving duct tape over her mouth. Luke had the element of surprise, and pulled her back, shoving her against the wall before she had any time to react. "Make one sound and I'll kill everyone downstairs. You can watch." Ferociously, Emma threw her body against his, only to be punched in the abdomen repeatedly, her hands taped behind her back. "What did I say?!" he whispered, and punched up toward her jaw, sending Emma crashing to the ground. "Get up." He said again quietly and pulled her up by her hair.

The next thing Emma knew, she was seated in her teenage years desk chair. Luke was pacing the room, mumbling to himself. "Y'know, I never thought I'd actually get you. I've seen you in action but this," he indicated her as he locked the door, "this was too easy." Emma glared at him. "And now that I have you here, I'm wondering how I'm gonna kill you." Emma's eyes darted around the room as she flexed her hands, willing the white light to come back. "Because you know this is your doing right?" Emma made no move to pay attention to him. With a growl, he knelt in front of her and ripped the duct tape. Emma's green eyes shot to his. "I'm gonna kill you."

"Then do it." Emma said to him. "I wish I could bring her back, but I cant. So do it, you yellow bellied son of a bitch." Luke growled again and held his knife to her arm. He cut her. "That's all you got?" she hissed.

"Lower your voice or I'll kill them too."

"Good luck," Emma said with a smile in a growl, "DEAN!" the slap he delivered across her face filled her mouth with blood. With another scream for him, Emma propelled herself onto Luke.

"DEAN!" Dean Winchester's eyes shot up to the dark bedroom window before he took off toward the front door of Bobby's house. "DEAN!" Sam was right behind him as he raed up the stairs.

"Shut up, you stupid bitch!" Luke pushed Emma to the side, wailing on her with his fists.

"Emma?!" she heard Dean yell from the other side of the door. The knob rattled.

"You killed her!" Luke roared as Emma brought her legs up to collide with his face. He shouted in pain and grabbed the knife. In a fit of rage, he stabbed – anywhere. Emma screamed in pain.

"Emma!"

Through the pain, Emma watched as Luke fell back again. Her vision blinked. This was it. He was going to kill her. On the other side, Dean was slamming his shoulder into the door over and over again. Turning her head, Emma locked her eyes onto the knob. Red hot energy coursed through her, and Emma watched as the lock wiggled and then turned.

Dean came flying into the room, his gun out, and gasped at the scene in front of him. Luke began to stand up, turning his head to meet eyes with the Winchesters. "Goodnight, asshole." Dean said and shot the gun, watching the blood spray. It mixed with Emma's pool of blood on the floor and Luke Warran fell onto the ground. Dead.

-+s+-

Dean didn't miss a beat, didn't even look at the body on the ground before he was knelt by Emma. Sam stood there, his gun out, staring at Luke Warren's body. How had they let this happen?

"Sam?! Dean?!" Bobby's voice roared from the bottom of the stairs and Sam raced out the door to tell Bobby what had happened. Dean and Emma were left alone.

"Emma? Emma? Angel? Can you hear me?" Emma opened her green eyes to stare into Dean's, her chest rising and falling in uneven turns. Luke had stabbed her in the shoulder. Blood poured out of her onto the ground. "Hey," Dean said, brushing some of Emma's hair out of her face. "Hey you're okay. Don't move, baby, okay? I'm gonna get this tape off you." Emma let out a little groan as Dean shifted her, cutting the tape around her hands. As her hands were free, she raised one of them to push him back.

"I'm okay." She started, but Dean cut her off.

"Don't." he said, shaking his head. He took her hand in his and looked down at her. He leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. Pulling back, Emma looked at him in wonder. "Let me?" he asked. "Let me take care of you." Emma swallowed, grimacing in pain as she did, before slowly nodding. Dean smiled a little bit at her. "Okay, honey. I'm gonna need you not to move, okay? I'm gonna lift you up."

"No," Emma said, shaking her head, "No don't move me." Dean was sliding his hands under her knees and shoulder blades.

"I gotta. We're gonna go down to Bobby. Put your arm around my neck." Emma wrapped her good arm around his neck, and held onto him as Dean stumbled over Luke's body and toward the door. "I got her," Dean said over her head as he made his way down the stairs toward where Bobby was waiting. Sam was in the kitchen, clearing off the table. "She's alive. Stab wound from what I can tell so far." Bobby's eyes were wide as he rolled the chair into the kitchen to the table, which he had made lower. Slowly, Dean lowered Emma onto the table.

"Sam?" she asked quietly, her eyes closed.

"Hey Em," Sam said as he brushed his hand against her forehead, "I'm right here. You okay?"

"I'm great." She said sarcastically, with a smile. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Emma." Sam said with a smile. "We got him. He's dead."

"Dean…" Emma mumbled. Dean grabbed her hand, kneeling down at her side.

"Right here, angel. I gotcha." Emma gave a little smile and closed her eyes, head lolling to her other shoulder, "Emma! Hey, no no. You gotta stay awake. Emma?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you." Emma smiled and opened her eyes halfway.

"I love you too."

Dean smiled and leaned forward, kissing her lightly on the lips. He looked up at Bobby, who was holding the bottle of alcohol over her wound. Sam, his face white, had his hand on the knife. Bobby nodded and Dean put one hand on Emma's other arm, the other on her legs. As her eyes widened, she realized what was going on. She hardly had time to protest before a scream erupted from her lips. The knife was out.

"Ain't that deep, Em." Bobby said softly, "Hang on."

"Hear that?" Dean asked Emma, who had her eyes shut tightly. "Ain't even that deep. You're gonna be okay. You know what's funny? Emma?"

"Dean."

"Hold on for me, okay?"

"Dean."

"Yeah?"

"If I would have known letting you take care of me was going to mean you talking this much, I'd have told you to go away." She opened her eyes and smiled at him. Dean laughed under his breath. She groaned again as Bobby reached his hand under her shoulder, looking for the other side of the wound. There wasn't one. "It hurts," Emma groaned again. Dean leaned down and took her hand in his.

"I know," he said, "squeeze my hand." Dean smiled as Emma's thin fingers wrapped themselves around his hand, and squeezed as hard as she could. It was hard. Dean's hand was hurting.

"Ready?" Bobby said, and Emma nodded. He once again held the alcohol over the gash – and poured. With a scream, Emma arched her back and as the pain overwhelmed her senses, everything went black.

The darkness faded slowly with the sound of birds and the soft warmth of the sunlight hitting Emma's body. She was lying on Bobby's couch on her back. Careful not to move too much, she felt Dean sit down on the edge of the bed. Emma smiled, and opened her eyes. Dean looked tired, rings under his eyes as he looked down at her. For a long time the two of them just stared at each other. Emma spoke first. "Tell me what's funny." She said quietly. Dean frowned.

"What?"

"You said last night that something was funny. Tell me what it was." She felt Dean leave the bed and come to kneel beside her, his hand running through her hair.

"I was just gonna say this is how I met you the first time." Dean said. Emma made a fake puking sound and Dean blanched.

"I'm kidding, baby that was really sweet." She said in a half sarcastic voice. Dean rolled his eyes before he leaned down to kiss her. "I'm really sorry I've been so distant lately, Dean." She said quietly. Dean shook his head.

"Don't be sorry for anything." He said to her. "I'm sorry I wasn't more pushy." Emma went to laugh, but was cut short by the pain in her stomach. She lifted her head and looked down at her stomach, which was covered in bandages under her shirt.

"Any broken ribs?" she asked. Dean grimaced.

"A couple."

There was another moment of silence between the two of them before Emma smiled. "I love you."

"I love you too."

 **Let me know what you think! I tried to incorporate a bit of hurt/comfort by a request from a lovely reader and I don't know if I did it well, so let me know!**


	10. Chapter 10 - Seven

**Heya!**

 **CHAPTER 10**

"Y'all be careful on this one." Bobby was saying as Sam, Dean, and Emma were putting their bags into the back of the Impala. Dean took Emma's from her. Even after two weeks, she was still sore. Sam had tried to make her wear a sling, but she wasn't having it.

"We will, Bobby." Emma said as she leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. Bobby made a face but Emma saw the little smile. "Be back," she said to the brothers and made her way toward the broken remnants of her truck. She grimaced as she ran her hand along the top of her compressed cab. "Hey, girl." She mumbled and opened the driver's door.

She hadn't gotten around to cleaning out her truck since her best friend had crashed it, months before. Her best friend who was now nowhere to be found – presumed dead, but Emma refused to believe it. Glass was wedged in between the seat cushions and Emma could still detect the slightest scent of sulfur. It was Lilith who had caused the truck to roll. Emma was the kind of person who took something terrible that happened to her and walked away from it, she always had been. She had experienced PTSD when she was young, but since then she had taught herself to shut down after. The hunting life didn't leave any room for prolonged suffering.

But her death and the moments leading up to had done something different to her, especially now that the girl who had been her rock for the last fifteen years was gone. Lately, with the memory of Luke coming in through her bedroom window, she found herself thinking about the beginning of the apocalypse that the hunters now found themselves neck deep in. She thought about Sara. After some digging and a phone call or two (" _Emma! We heard you were dead!"_ ), she had learned a lot about the demon that had inhabited her body, that was so important to the end of the world. It played out that the demon could only inhabit men throughout Emma's life, because Emma herself was the only girl she could ever possess. That explained Emma's failed hunts for her over the years, she had been missing a very important piece to the puzzle. With a sigh, Emma cautiously reached behind the cab seat of her old Chevy Silverado. The first thing she pulled out was her old acoustic guitar. The case was bent, but upon further inspection, she saw that the instrument was unharmed. Humming in interest, she set it on the seat. After a few more moments of rummaging around, Emma found what she was looking for. Hopping out of the truck, she turned to go back to the Impala. Not two steps and a hundred thoughts later, she mumbled "fuck it" and pulled the guitar out.

"That thing is so hot." Dean sighed as he watched Emma strap her shotgun holster onto her back. She spent a few moments adjusting it before sliding her holder, gun, and guitar into the trunk. Sam peered interested at the instrument. Bobby said nothing. "You know we could stay one more night." Dean said seductively as he cornered her against the Impala.

"Boy…" Bobby warned. Emma just laughed and pushed him away from her.

"I liked you better when you were eighty." She teased him. Dean's expression turned deadpan. The three were leaving Bobby's from a case on a witch and a strange card game, that involved betting years of your life. Dean had lost 50 before they were able to stop the situation. Emma had missed most of the action, as they had confined her to the hotel room on research duty. Emma hadn't complained too much. Three broken ribs and a stab wound would do that to anyone.

The upside to her aching body was that she got to sit in the front of the Chevy Impala that was pushing eighty down the freeway toward a town in Oklahoma. Emma always felt a little odd returning to the state that she had grown up in. She hadn't returned to her town in a long time, and with her short but confusing meeting with her father in Heaven, she was glad that wasn't where they were headed. Where they _were_ going was the city of Ponca, where Emma had spent one of her foster home years. This was where she had met Maggie. There was very little that she remembered with even a hint of a smile about her childhood. She had seen on some late night psych show that this should worry her. It didn't.

"So," Sam's voice brought her back to the present. "We wanna run over what we know?"

"Four bodies found." Emma recited from memory – the blonde hair and southern accent always led people to believe she was stupid, but she was actually incredibly bright. "One male – age 24 – drank and ate himself to death, which would be not necessarily supernatural related except he was a religious vegan. And it wasn't no kale he exploded his stomach with."

"What even is kale?" Dean wondered aloud. Emma shrugged and looked over at him from the passenger's seat.

"I think it's a leaf." Emma saw Sam roll his eyes as he leaned forward. "Anyway the next two, a married couple in their thirties, died while getting it on. Also weird because they were in the process of divorce and the wife's friend said that they hadn't had sex in months. I'll leave the details of their death up to your imagination."

"I read the file," Dean said with a grimace. "It says that the guy –"

"Don't! Don't tell me." Sam interrupted. Emma laughed.

"The next girl…"

-+s+-

"So," the ME was telling the three hunters as they followed her into the small examining room. "We've gone through the first three. This is Ms. Lilian." Sam and Emma followed the woman to the last of the four tables. Emma ran her hand through her hair. "Like the first three, it looks like Lilian kept at what she was doing up to the moment she died." This body's face was the only one that was covered. It was obvious why. Emma gave a little gasp at the cuts under the woman's eyes. Her nose was gone. And it only got worse as the ME pulled down the woman's sheet. "Judging by where the incisions were made, it looks like she was trying to perform plastic surgery on herself." Emma watched as Dean raised an eyebrow and looked down.

"What about drugs? Alcohol?" Emma asked as she put one hand on her hip. She leaned down close to the body, causing both the brothers to make a face. She was looking for bites, holes, anything that would suggest what it was that had done this.

"Toxicology reports haven't come back from the lab yet but initial testing came back zip for all of them." Emma made brief eye contact with Sam before nodding.

"Alright, thanks doctor." she said and shook hands with the woman. "You have my number if anything else comes up."

"Youre really taking the reins here." Dean was saying as the three of them pushed out the doors and into the parking lot.

Emma shrugged and smiled at him. "Glad to be back." she said. Sam was checking his voicemail. "What do you think about me getting some work done?" Emma teased, pulling at the subtle bags under her eyes. Dean shot her a look and squeezed her arm affectionately.

"Not in a million years. I love you - big feet and all." Emma stopped short, her mouth wide open.

"I do NOT have big feet!" she shrieked, glancing once down toward the ground. Dean started laughing, leaning over to kiss her as they waited for Sam. Emma pushed him away and pouted, arms crossed on her chest. "I don't have big feet." she said quietly. She felt Dean's lips on her forehead, hearing his chuckling mumble that he was just kidding.

Sam came jogging over to the Impala, frowning at the scene in front of him. "They found another body, downtown apartment - what did you do to her?"

"He said my feet are big." Emma pouted at Sam before Dean could rush to defend himself.

"But they're not... Okay. Anyways. I have the directions, lets go."

Dean shook his head. "You two go ahead. I wanna run and grab a few things."

Emma frowned, "Like what?"

"Salt, lighter fluid. Maybe some more ammunition for the guns."

"I did all of that yesterday..."

Dean kissed Emma quick on the lips before walking in the other direction. "I'll catch up to you later. I'll call you."

"Dean?"

"Love you!" Emma turned and looked at Sam, eyebrows meeting in the middle in an intense frown. The Winchester only had a shrug for her. That was weird.

"Well we better get going." Sam said as he pulled open the door to the Impala. Emma made to take the keys from his hand.

"Give them to me!" she cried, laughing. Sam smiled as he held the keys high above her head. She jumped. "Dean said I could drive her!"

"Not with that shoulder." Sam shook his head. "I'm not risking sudden Dean death."

"My shoulders fine." Emma said defensively.

"Lift your arm over your head." The hunter looked down at her shoulder before, with a 'hmph' and a pout, getting into the passengers seat. "Thats what I thought."

As the Impala rolled down the city streets at speeds far too reasonable for Emma's taste, she found herself worrying about the man next to her. "Sam?" she asked tentatively.

"Hm?"

"How are you?" she asked. Sam frowned in confusion. "Getting over your blood problem."

"Oh... I'm, I'm fine." Sam said with a shrug. Emma didn't believe him. "I just try not to think about it is all." Emma saw the slight shift in his position, the tiny clench of his hands on the wheel.

"You can always come to me." she said, "if it ever gets to be too much." Sam said nothing as they drove down an alley toward the flashing police lights. He simply nodded.

-+s+-

"Sorry to have wasted your time, agents. Just some greedy bastard." The body was being rolled out into an ambulance. "We just thought a robbery was weird in the middle of the day." The man had been shot while robbing a couple's home. The husband, in a shaky voice, had said he wouldn't stop taking things off the shelves. Not when he confronted, not when he dialed 911. Only when the robber saw an officer's gun did he draw a knife.

"Greedy bastard..." Emma mumbled as the two of them walked through the warmer sunlight spot as it peeked through the storm clouds. She couldnt shake the feeling that they were being watched. "Greedy... Sam! Thats it!" The tall man raised his eyebrows as his large hands dug around for the Impala's keys.

"Whats it?"

" _Greed._ " Emma said excitedly. "Look. Ate himself to death. Sexed..." was that even a word? "themselves to death. Performed her own plastic surgery. Couldn't stop stealing." Sam frowned and Emma watched it slowly dawn on him. "Gluttony. Lust. Envy. Greed." Emma waited for Sam to exclaim her genius, but he only shook his head.

"Not possible." he said, more to himself than anything before pulling out his phone. Emma frowned.

"Why not?" she asked. "Seven Deadly Sins wouldn't be the craziest thing we've seen." Sam looked at her, stony faced.

"Dean? Yeah she's okay. Look, meet us at the hotel. We got a problem." Emma had pulled her phone out, preparing to call Bobby.

"Sam what's going on?"

"We killed the Seven Sins. Not exorcised. Killed - with Ruby's knife - two years ago."

"So it's a coincidence." Dean said with a vague swipe of his hand. He and Emma were seated on their hotel bed. Emma rolled her eyes.

"Lucifer comes back and suddenly we run into a case with demons who are supposed to be dead -and you call that a coincidence?"

"Maybe we're being tricked." Sam offered. Dean shrugged his shoulders. Emma sighed and looked down at the ground. Sam watched in the quiet as Dean ran his hand over Emma's leg and sighed himself. "I'll go get some dinner."

As the door shut behind Sam, Dean turned to Emma, who hadn't moved. "What are you thinking?"

Emma lifted herself to lean her elbows on her knees and stares across the small hotel room. "What if it really is them?" she asked. "Who else could Lucifer have brought back?" Dean knew she was thinking about Sarah.

"Well take care of it." he said in that protective and confident voice that sent shivers down Emma's spine. "Just like we'll take care of these." he leaned forward and planted a kiss on her lips. As he bit her bottom lip lightly, Emma couldn't help the quiet moan that slipped out her lips. She wanted to touch him all over. As he leaned her down onto her back, cold fear suddenly took over her heart and she leaned away from him, taking in every inch of him. Dean watched her with brilliant green eyes. "Hey..." he said. "What is it?"

Emma suddenly felt silly. "I'm just worried about you." she said, shaking her head. "I felt like something was watching us while Sam and I were at the last crime scene. I know he felt it too. There's nothing more dangerous than a demon who wants revenge - let alone seven." Dean just held her gaze and smiled.

"Well that's why I got this hot," he kissed her, "badass," another kiss. Emma made a little happy sound, "girlfriend around."

"Mmm better believe it." she mumbled against how lips. Dean looked at her and grinned.

"In fact, she'll be here any second."

Sam walked back into the hotel room, an arm full of Chinese boxes to find Dean pinned under Emma's frame, arm twisted behind his back. She was laughing. "Help me, man!"

"I dont even want to know." Sam shook his head and kept walking.

 **Next one up as soon as I can! Sorry if its short. Im on my phone so I cant really tell.**


	11. Chapter 11 - Paradise

**Surprise! Most of this chapter is kinda out of left field, hope you enjoy it.**

 **CHAPTER 11**

"Emma?" The voice was hazy and distant. Dean's voice. "Hey angel, it's time to get up."

"Go away." Emma groaned and punched the source of all the noise. Chuckle was the response. The woman didn't open her eyes as she rolled over onto her stomach. She didn't remember the hotel bed being this soft. The hunter's instincts were immediately alerted. She wasn't in the hotel. Ema's eyes flew open in a tangle of limbs she flailed. "Emma!" Dean's voice cut through her determined attempts to free herself. Dean held her around her waist, her arms crushed to her chest. "Emma, hey. It's okay. You're okay. It was just a dream." Slowly, Emma stopped thrashing. But something was still off; something was wrong. Dean kissed the back of her head. "You're safe now. I gotcha." It was now that Emma chose to open her eyes. She was lying on her side in a bedroom filled with golden, early morning light. A dresser and door was the only thing she could see. "Emma?"

"Let go of me." She said in a guarded voice. Dean's arms loosened and she stood around to face the man lying in the bed. It was Dean. His hair was tousled, pajama shirt tight across his chest. Green eyes, foggy with sleep, stared up at her. Emma's eyes flitted across the room. It was a decent sized bedroom, on at least the second floor of a house. A closet door, a bathroom door, a small desk. Emma stared at the pictures lined up at the front of the desk. Her and Dean – a wedding day? She saw that pistol sitting next to the pictures and thought about lunging for it, but she merely looked back at Dean, stunned, in silence as he stood up. He continued to stare at her as if she were a frightened and cornered animal. Her stomach started doing summersaults. "I need to pee." She said quickly and retreated into the bathroom.

Once inside, Emma dove for the toilet and all the contents of her stomach disappeared into the water. Once again she heard Dean's voice. "You okay?"

"I'm fine – don't come in here!" she called back out at him. She immediately reached for a toothbrush, mind reeling. What in the hell was going on?

"Don't forget today's Maggie's check up." Dean's voice continued from the bedroom. "You gotta bring her over there."

Emma frowned. Maggie? "She can't bring herself?" she asked.

Dean laughed. "When they start giving five year olds driver's licenses." Emma's hand froze by her outh and she looked at the bathroom door sharply. What? Emma opened the door and stepped back into the bedroom. Dean was pulling a t-shirt on. He turned around when he heard her come in. "I've got a huge day at the garage today, so I might not be able to answer my phone. You gonna be okay?"

"Dean…"

"Hey." Dean crossed the room and wrapped his arms around her. "You okay?" he asked again. Emma narrowed her eyes at him.

"Stop asking me that." She demanded. Dean stepped back, concern lining his face. "Just stop, okay? Let me think." Dean's eyes looked her up and down and he frowned.

"Really bad dream, huh?" he asked quietly. "You can't keep thinking about all that hunting stuff. It's over. We're safe. The stress is gonna really hurt the baby." The…

"Mommy – good morning!" a tiny tired voice came from the doorway. "Hi daddy!" Emma turned suddenly, her hand on her stomach to look at the tiny girl. Tears prickled at the corners of her eyes at the sight of blonde ringlets and emerald green eyes. Dean let go of Emma quickly and walked over to the little girl.

"Hey baby." Dean's voice was enough to send a tear spilling over and down her cheeks. All thought of telling this Dean that she wasn't what he thought disappeared. Zachariah had no doubt done this. She didn't care. She just wanted to hold this child. Dean had lifted Maggie into his arms, kissing her on the cheek. The little girl reached her arms out toward Emma and with a painful leap of her heart, she engulfed Maggie into her arms. Maggie was warm and soft. She smelled like strawberries. Emma inhaled deeply, lost in the beating of the little heart against her chest. When Emma looked up, she saw Dean staring at her.

"You're beautiful." Emma smiled and looked over at the little blonde curls against her cheek.

"We did this…" Emma whispered, her voice thick. Dean nodded and kissed her forehead.

"We did."

-+s+-

"You behave for mommy today?" Dean was asking little Maggie as he finished his coffee. Maggie nodded, mouth full of waffle. "That's my girl." He crossed the kitchen to where Emma was dreamily wiping a counter down. She had made breakfast for her family. A field of wildflowers was growing outside her window. She was in the farmhouse she had always wanted. Dean's arms wrapped around her waist, stroking her stomach gently. She sighed as he rested his head on her shoulder.

"It's all over you know." He whispered in her ear. "No more monsters. No more demons." If only you knew… she thought. Emma hid her growing confusion. Something was off about this Dean.

"I know." Emma smiled and turned in his arms. She played along. She placed a short, sweet kiss on his lips that he returned in earnest. "You're gonna be late." Dean cursed against her lips and within moments he was running out the door.

Emma Gordon had faced vampires, demons, and death but she had never been more terrified than hse was alone in the kitchen with the small child at the breakfast table. She stood there like a deer in headlights before clearing her throat awkwardly. "You wanna watch cartoons?" she asked. Maggie nodded excitedly and in moments time Emma had her cleaned up and seated on the leather couch. She had read somewhere once that distracting a kid with television was bad for them, but she really needed to make a call.

"This is Singer." Emma nearly collapsed with relief.

"Bobby!" she exclaimed. "Thank God."

"Emma?" Bobby's voice sounded alarmed, "Is something wrong?"

"No! Yes… uh…"

"Out with it girl," Bobby growled not unkindly. "Is the kid okay?"

"What? Yeah, she's fine."

"Then what is it?"

Emma sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "This is gonna sound nuts," Bobby chuckled, "But… when I went to bed last night it was 2009. I saw you a couple of days ago, and you had sent us on a hunt. The boys are in Indiana right now, and I was too. But I don't appear to be now." There was silence on the other end.

"I was in a chair."

"Yeah."

"Angels?" he started to sound serious. Emma shrugged her shoulders.

"That's what I'm assuming. I just woke up here, Bobby. And apparently there's a kid here that's mine and she has a doctor's appointment and I don't even know where it is. I don't even know how to take care of her."

Bobby was laughing on the other side, she could hear him get up. "Hang on, I'm comin' over right now."

Less than an hour later had Emma and Bobby (who was now completely mobile) sitting on the back porch of what Bobby told her was her South Dakota home. Maggie was playing with imaginary friends (something that disturbed Emma a bit) on her playset. Bobby was sipping on a beer thoughtfully, smiling Maggie's way every time she squealed: "Grampa! Look!" Emma desperately wanted a cigarette, a habit she had apparently quit when pregnant with Maggie. Instead, she sipped on lemonade.

"You haven't told Dean?" Bobby asked. Emma shook her head, "Why not?"

"He's so happy." Emma said, her voice tinged with agony. "He kept talking about hunting being over all morning. How am I supposed to tell him his housewife has been replaced with his hunter girlfriend for an undetermined amount of time?" Bobby nodded his head and took a pull from his beer.

"Good point." They sat in silence for a moment. "Y'all in any deep trouble right now?" Emma shrugged her shoulders.

"Same old." She said, "Some demons looking for revenge. We're in the middle of the apocalypse so I suppose going out for a drink would still be in deep trouble. Sam thinks…" she paused. "Bobby, where's Sam?" Bobby bowed his head, "Where's Sam?"

"He's dead, honey." Bobby said with a soft tone. Emma's eyes narrowed.

"Tell me everything."

-+s+-

Emma was leaning on her elbows, hands over her mouth. Everything made sense all of a sudden.

Bobby had sighed before he started his story. "Sam said yes first. Lucifer got to him eventually. You and Dean spent months trying to find and take him down. It tore Dean apart. Then one night Dean snuck out and said yes, and it was everything you and I could do just to stay alive. They fought for over a year. Most of Asia is gone, Europe's economy's gone – so I heard, only about half the planet survived. Coincidentally, we're the only hunters left it seems." Emma gave him a skeptical look.

"If Europe has no economy how do they function?"

Bobby smiled with a little cynical twinkle in his eyes.

"This is paradise, Em. Feel the air? Ain't too hot, ain't too cold. It's always like this. The sky is always blue, people don't need jobs, but we all got 'em anyway. It ain't like nobody gets sick or dies but everything's pretty damn perfect otherwise." Emma gave him a sly look.

"Tell me how you really feel, old man." She said quietly. Bobby glanced over at her and blanched.

"I hate it." He said loudly and shamelessly. "Sam's gone, Jo and Ellen are dead." Emma sucked in her breath. "Dean ain't the same –"

"I knew it!" Emma pointed at Bobby. "He's sweet and doting – he didn't make one sexist joke this mornin', didn't act like that at all. He's like a damn therapist. I thought maybe it was the kid…" Bobby shook his head.

"Somethin' about Michael changed him." Bobby shrugged and leaned back in his seat as Emma glanced at Maggie. The little girl had a bear and was explaining that going down the slide wasn't all that scary. "I dunno, Em." Bobby finally sighed. "Paradise ain't right. You know it. This ain't the first time we had this conversation. You're no more happy than I am, family and all. I mean, the weather's nice and people are good but…"

"We're missing half our family." Emma said quietly.

"And billions of people are dead." The two sat quietly against the patio chairs. "You don't know where her doctor's office is." Bobby finally said with a little laugh.

"Nope."

-+s+-

It was dark in the house as Emma leaned against the kitchen counter. She had cooked a beautiful dinner for her beautiful family; put her beautiful daughter to bed. Dean's voice haunted her mind, playing like a scratched record.

"Do you ever miss Sam?" she had asked out of the blue. Dean, who was dozing off beside her, looked at her sharply.

"I don't like to talk about that." He said. Emma frowned.

"But he's your brother." She said earnestly. "It doesn't bother you at all?" Dean rolled over, suddenly looking irritated.

"We did what was right."

Emma scoffed, "You don't really believe that." She was up and out the bedroom door before he could reply.

" _We did what was right."_ Emma sighed and put her head onto her hand. A flutter of wings brought her out of her thoughts.

"Cas?" she exclaimed when she turned around. "Thank God – tell Zachariah I'm done with this. I want to go back." Castiel stood in the doorway to the kitchen. He stared at her before speaking in his flat voice.

"Zachariah didn't send you here." He said, "I did." Emma was taken aback.

"Why?"

Castiel sighed, "I've seen into Dean's mind. He doesn't think I can find My Father and he's having second thoughts about his fight against Michael. I know that Dean himself in 2014 said to make him do it. Only you can do that – and only you can stop him." Emma frowned. He was thinking about it?

"Well take me back then." Emma said earnestly. She raised her eyebrows at Cas. He shook his head.

"I can't." he said, "You can only go back if you really want to. Your new powers… I can't do anything you don't 100% want me to do. I can't even knock you out. Your dreams were the first time I was able to transport you here." Emma tilted her head to the side and looked at him.

"I want to." She said with her eyes wide. Cas shook his head.

"Not yet. A part of you wants to stay here."

"Look who I found!" Emma turned at the sound of a familiar voice, her heart pounding when she saw who Zachariah was holding in his arms.

"Mama?" she mumbled sleepily, head on the angel's shoulder. Emma's eyes narrowed and a primal growling sound threatened t come from her lips.

"Put her down." She said in a dangerous voice. Zachariah laughed aloud as Castiel and Emma heard footsteps coming down the stairs. What Emma was not prepared to see was Dean smile wide at the sight of the angel he had always hated.

"Emma, it's alright. It's just Zach." He said, "How's it goin?" Cas shook his head at Emma, whose breathing had hitched. "I'll take her from you." He said and took Maggie into his arms. "You two want a beer?" he asked on the way out. Emma's hand inched toward the knife on the counter.

"You enjoying your stay?" Zachariah asked with a smile. "I told you there'd be paradise when Dean says yes. You even get your man back, mostly."

"What do you mean mostly?" she asked suspiciously. She knew something was off.

"Well," Zachariah waved his hands nonchalantly, "We needed to do some rebuilding after Michael wore him around." Emma glanced at Cas, who had his hand over his eyes.

"Rebuilding?"

"Well, yes." Zachariah looked slightly sheepish. "But we build you the perfect Dean. Someone you really needed. Took out the excessive drinking – threw in some TLC. Someone who could give you the space you need and hold you when you wanted it. No harm done." With each word, Emma got more and more furious. As if a small earthquake had hit the room, the dishes rattled. Zachariah smiled.

"I'm going to kill you one day." Emma said as the tremors subsided. She smiled sweetly, "And I'm gonna enjoy it. None of this is real."

"You are the most ungrateful worm I have ever had the misfortune to meet." Zachariah replied. "We give you everything. A life away from hunting, a family. Paradise. And what do you have to say? 'I want my boyfriend back, wah.' Grow up, sweetheart. Castiel here did the right thing showing what your life could be like."

"He did." Emma agreed. "Exactly the right thing." She turned to Castiel, wanting with every fiber of her being to get the hell out of here. "Take me back."

Zachariah opened his mouth, but Emma never to to hear what he was going to say.

-+s+-

A gasp and exclamation came from Emma's lips as she sat straight up – stiff as a board. Dean, who had been sleeping next to her, jumped in surprise. "What is it?" he was groggy. Sam was gone. Judging by the light peeking in through the blackout curtains, it was sometime in the early morning. She was back in the town infested with demons, back in her hotel room. She had never been happier. "Emma? Angel?" Emma turned her head to look at Dean, her Dean, before smiling. "What's up?" Emma didn't answer. In a surge of passion, Emma' hovered over him and crushed her lips against his almost violently. Dean didn't understand as she straddled him, his hands exploring her skin across her lower back. He didn't care.

As the explosion left the two spent and lying in each other's arms, Dean laughed a bit and kissed the top of Emma's head. "Not that I'm objecting." He said, "But what was that about?" Emma watched as he stood up and pulled back on his boxers off the floor. He tossed her his shirt playfully, the soft fabric colliding with her face. "Hm?"

"I just love you." Emma said, her head tilted to the side. She decided to keep her visit to herself for now. Dean made a fake gagging noise and Emma's foot collided with his leg. He crawled back into bed, hovering over her. Her skin shivered.

"I love you too."

Emma's voice shook a bit with emotion. "I don't want you making no stupid decisions." Dean frowned. "Because paradise ain't worth it if you aren't there - exactly how you are. It ain't paradise at all if I dont have you. So don't you dare leave me, Dean Winchester."

"I'm not going to, Emma." Dean told her defensively.

"Promise me." Emma commanded. Dean smiled and leaned down to kiss her again, with the same fierceness and hunger she had displayed.

"I promise."

"Guys!" Sam came running into the room, setting the coffees onto the table. "Ah jeez Dean put some clothes on." Emma laughed out loud. "Its them. Its the Sins. And I know where they are."

 **Stay tuned for the next one!**


	12. Chapter 12 - Your Children

**CHAPTER 12**

"So you followed a demon." Dean was saying sternly from his spot at the table. Emma looked up from her seat, tucking a rock salt bullet into her shotgun. "Without backup." Sam, who was going over the exorcism in the book in his hand looked up at his brother.

"Uh… yes." He said half sarcastically. Emma said nothing, going back to her task.

"You didn't catch it or anything." Dean asked. Sam sighed heavily.

"And what, Dean?" he asked, irritated. "Drain it? Drank again, is that what you're asking?"

Dean shrugged his shoulders. "You said it not me." Sam just scoffed and shook his head. Emma shifted uncomfortably in the tense room. The pressure in the air continued to mount pushing down on Emma from all sides until she let out a soft, exasperated groan. Dean and Sam jumped when they long necked beer bottles shattered. Emma was too frustrated to care. Grabbing her pack of Reds from next to her, she stood onto her feet.

"You." She pointed to Dean, "You." To Sam. "Fix this. Now."

"What? Angel –"

"Don't you 'angel' me. I you can't trust your own brother, a hunter by the way, to tail one demon then we should all probably quit. So unless you have someone else in mind to save the world, I suggest you two work it out. I'll be outside." And with that, she huffed out the door.

Neither brother wanted to talk about what was going on – the tension between them. Dean knew that Sam hadn't drunk since the apocalypse's beginning, but he also knew that the longer they spent around demons the more of a chance he had of losing his brother. Sam was just over it all. "This angel power thing of hers is getting dangerous." Dean said. He shook glass shards into a trash can. Sam nodded, his eyes wide.

Emma stood outside by the Winchesters' Impala, a cigarette perched between her fingers. She was staring at the asphalt between her boots, the ash slowly dropping to the ground as she was lost in thought. She was really getting sick of her powers just showing up like that. She wondered where Dean had disappeared to the day before, wondered when she was planning on telling Dean about her visit to 20-whenever. Sighing, Emma pulled out her wallet and checked how much cash was in the pouch. She needed a coffee. As she stared absentmindedly at her wallet, she never heard the footsteps coming behind her.

"Hello, my dear." She turned quickly, her hand flying toward the knife on her belt. She didn't have time to grab it before something heavy connected with the back of her head and that was all she knew.

-+s+-

"She's _WHAT?!_ " Bobby Singer roared into his phone. His hand gripped the wheelchair arm.

"She's gone, Bobby." Dean said frantically from the hotel parking lot. He held Emma's cell phone to his ear; they had found it lying on the ground next to their car. Sam kicked Emma's left cigarette butt around the asphalt. "Did she call you?"

"No she didn't call me – you're on her phone ain't you? Maybe she just went to the store."

Dean looked down at the leather in his hand. "Her wallet was on the ground. I think someone took her." Bobby's voice shook with anger at his next words.

"You better find her, boy." He said dangerously. "Call me."

"Yes sir," Dean hung up the phone, a panicked and angry look on his face. "Where'd you trail the demon to?"

The Impala peeled out of the parking lot, tires screeching. A very determined and angry Dean as behind the wheel.

"I'm sure she's okay, Dean." Sam said as he held onto his seat. "She's been in worse situations before."

"You saw what they did to Ivan – what they tried to do to us. And at that given moment they weren't incredibly pissed."

"They're using her to get to us." Sam said. "They're not gonna do anything to her." He was only half right.

-+s+-

Seven demons stood in a dingy basement, dim light coming from the ceiling. In front of them, a blonde woman sat sleeping, tied to a chair. One of them, a woman in a silk bra and miniskirt turned to the others. Her face, black eyes gleaming, was lined with excitement.

"Is it her?" she asked, her voice sultry and smooth. Lust. Another demon smiled.

"I think so." He said, "Lucifer's going to be so pleased with us." The others all grinned. "To be bringing him the savior and the Winchesters? He'll never let us die again. Maybe we could have –"

"Don't get greedy, friend." A largely heavy man said sarcastically with a chuckle. He wheeled his chair in a circle around the blonde beauty. "When's she going to wake up, I'm getting tired."

"You're always tired. _I_ never sleep on the job. Did you see what a great job I did at luring Sam Winchester here? I could have done it all on my own." A couple of demons glanced knowingly at each other. All conversation halted, though, as the savior mumbled in her sleep.

"Cas, I don't know how…"

"Yes you do." Castiel and Emma were standing in a park. A muffled silence filled the air. There was not a single person to be seen. He was standing before her with his hands folded in front of him. "It's in you now. You have as much control over these powers as you do your legs. Concentrate. Move the book."

Emma looked down at the book on the ground she had been trying to move for the past half hour. With a sigh, she went back to concentrating. "It's not something in your mind, Emma. It's a physical trait. The demons are leading Dean into a trap. This is the only way to save you."

"Thanks Yoda." Emma said with a roll of her eyes.

"You know my name so I'm going to assume that was a joke."

"Yeah." Another few minutes went by.

"It's a physi-"

"A physical trait." Emma interrupted the angel. She ran her hand through her hair, irritated. "Thanks, Cas. I get it." Castiel just smiled and pointed to the wriggling book on the grass. Emma's hands were giving off a faint white light. Struggling not to lose momentum, he felt a tingling sensation run from her fingertips to her chest. The book shot into the air, disappearing into the skyline. With a raised eyebrow, she turned to Cas. "Happy now?" Cas just smiled, another book appearing on the ground.

"Do it again."

-+s+-

"This is where you followed it to?" Dean asked his brother. The two had pulled the Impala up to a warehouse. Not a single light was on in at least five blocks. Sam nodded.

"He went into that building right there." Dean nodded and got out of the car, slamming his door behind him. Sam scrambled to catch up to his brother as they crossed the lot. The door to get inside was unlocked, wide open, as if inviting them in.

"Hello?!" Dean exclaimed into the small, empty warehouse. It was dark. He cocked his gun, staring around him as Sam crept in carefully after him.

"Sorry boys." The two whirled around at the sound of an echoing voice. "She's not here. Although why everyone else got to stick around and I had to come collect you two I don't understand. You could say I'm a bit… envious." A man came walking out of a dark corner, his hand desperately and dangerously close to Sam. Dean froze as the man held his hand over his brother's shoulder. One touch from him and Sam was screwed. The demon looked at Dean's gun and laughed. "That's right. Remember me? You shoot me, Sam here dies. You run, Sam dies. Now, why don't we all just get along and talk this through?"

"Where's Emma?"

"Safe." The demon replied, his black eyes glinting. He wore a tailored suit, four gold rings glinting off his fingers. "For now. You come with me, and nobody has to die." Dean watched in horror as the demon draped his finger across Sam's shoulder, just barely touching him. Sam shuddered and looked down at the ground as the demon raised his finger again. Sam looked up at his brother, and Dean was surprised at the fierceness in his eyes.

"You get everything." He said angrily. "You get the girl and the life, you get to be in love and be the hero. All I ever get to be is the little brother – the drug addict." Envy smiled. Dean frowned and stared at his brother, open mouthed. "I get to be lonely." Envy snapped his fingers and as if a giant weight had been lifted off Sam's shoulders, he slumped. He didn't have it in him to look back up at Dean. "We go with you and you let Emma go." Sam said in a low voice. Envy shook his head and laughed again, a high pitched whining laugh that set Dean's teeth on edge. Sam stared hard at his brother, watching as Dean gave a slight shake of the head, resigned.

"You're in no position to make deals, Sam." He said, "We're here for the whole package, or none of it. We're delivering you and the little savior to Lucifer. Or do you need to spill your guts again?"

Dean looked back up at the demon and raised his gun high again. "I don't think so." He said dangerously and Sam turned around quickly, ducking out of the way of the demon's hand before Dean let off a bullet. The noise bounced off the walls of the warehouse, causing all of their ears to ring. Sam reached down into his belt and turned around at an almost inhumane speed, shoving the demon-killing knife deep into the demon's skull. The man dropped to the ground dead, golden sparks shooting behind his eyes.

As the noise started to diminish, the ringing in their ears started to go away, Sam finally turned back to look at his brother. Dean was frowning at him.

"I never meant to make you feel like that." Dean said sincerely. Sam shrugged his shoulders.

"It's nothing, Dean." He said nonchalantly.

"No, it's not." Dean said with a shake of his head. "I know you're capable. I know you'll do anything to save us. That's what worries me."

"What should worry you is finding Emma." Castiel's voice came from the doorway to the warehouse. Dean turned his gun on the angel before lowering it, letting out his breath at being startled.

"Jesus, Cas." He said. "You know where she is?" Castiel nodded.

"I have a general idea." He said, turning toward the Winchesters' car. "But we have to hurry. She's going to wake up soon.

-+s+-

"Where is Envy?" A man was sitting in the corner of the basement, licking his fingers after having finished another burger. "Shouldn't he be here right now with the Winchesters?"

"Maybe someone should go check on him?" Sloth said.

"Yeah, good idea." A woman was saying, rolling her eyes from the doorway. "Why don't you go ahead and do it?"

"I don't feel like it."

"Yeah, I didn't think so." Emma heard a woman's voice saying as she felt herself slowly return to her body from her dream. She kept her eyes closed, feeling the slow ache in her body. She was sitting in a chair. Her hands were tied behind her back. Slowly keeping her breathing even, Emma felt the cold, musty air against her skin. She was in somewhere enclosed. The little light she could see through her eyelashes told her it was either night, or they had a dim lamp wherever she was.

 _"It's a physical part of you."_ She could remember Castiel telling her quietly as she sat there. It was harder here, in this real world, but after a few moments of concentration, she felt the familiar tingle of grace flowing through her chest and into her arms. Emma clasped her hands tightly together, trying to keep anyone from noticing the white light that would no doubt be coming from her hands. She only had to hold herself that way for a moment, though, before the rope slid off her wrists. She held it in her fingers. Slowly, Emma opened her green eyes and quickly took in her surroundings. A basement. One dim light hanging from the ceiling. There were six demons in the room with her, each standing or sitting impatiently. Lust was leaning against the wall with her eyes closed. Greed was standing counting the items in his pockets. Sloth and Gluttony were sitting next to each other, each looking to be half awake. Wrath was filing her nails into sharp points. Emma felt her shoulders give a jolt when she directed her eyes to Pride, who was staring straight at her.

"Look who's awake." The demon said with a smile on his face. The others all glanced over. "The savior have a nice nap?"

Emma frowned and looked at them all with an eyebrow raised. "I'm not a savior." She said, "I'm really getting sick of hearing about that bull shit. The apocalypse started – you can knock it off now."

Pride smiled as he stood back up straight from where he had been getting closer and closer to Emma's face. "You really don't know do you?" he said. The other demons in the room chuckled. Emma frowned, staring darkly at each of them in turn. Pride laughed again. "Your children are going to be the best thing to ever happen to us." Pride whispered in her ear when he reached her. Emma pulled her head back violently from his, overwhelmed with a wave of confusion and intense anger. Bubbling up through her chest, Emma felt a white hot heat. With a small smile at the demon, she reached her hand out from behind her back. Pride only had a moment to register what was going on before she connected her hand with his face, pushing with all her might. His screams were muffled against her palm as his eyes were filled with a bright white light. In a moment, the demon fell to the ground, dead. Emma struggled to stand on her feet, staring at the other demons in the room.

"Is there anyone else who would like to weigh in?" Wrath gave a scream of fury and raced across the small room, straight at Emma. The two women collided, hair flying as the two were sent to the ground. "Ah!" Emma shouted angrily and brought her hand up to the woman's chest. She watched in amazement and awe as the demon flew off of her and fizzled out against the wall.

It was Greed that she took care of next. She whirled around, her foot colliding with his chest. Greed just laughed and grabbed onto her foot, sending her onto the ground. "Get off me!" His fist collided with her cheek, causing her mouth to fill up with blood before she finally got the upper hand as they grappled. She was unaware of the two men who had rushed into the room, only recognizing Dean's voice as he screamed her name. Emma hardly had the energy to turn her head when she was done with the demon beneath her. She heard Dean call her name again as she slumped onto the floor, blood trickling from her lips.

"Emma?" Sam was holding onto his arm, which had been cut, staring down at Dean hovering over his girlfriend. Emma kept blinking over and over again, willing her sight to clear up. "Hey, you okay?" he asked her, lifting her up into his arms.

"I'm fine." She said groggily, leaning against the wall out of his reach. She felt nauseous. "Just gimme a minute." Dean and Sam stood there staring at the blonde as she breathed heavily, willing energy back into her body. "I'm okay." She finally said and spit blood onto the ground. She turned around and saw the two brothers staring at her, their own standing figures surrounded by the bodies of the Seven Deadly Sins. Dean let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in and rushed forward, wrapping his arms around her. She hugged him back, reaching out to hold Sam's hand in hers with a smile, before the three of them started up the stairs out of the basement.

"Thanks for the help." She teased Dean as they crossed a parking lot toward the car.

"Cas was the one who saved the day." Dean laughed. Sam was wrapping a bandage around his forearm without even a wince. Emma leaned over and kissed Dean long and hard on the lips. With a flick of her wrist, something flew out of Dean's back pocket and into Emma's hands.

"Speaking of Cas." She said against his lips and backed up, the keys to the Impala floating over her hand. "Look what I learned." Dean tilted his head to the side.

"No way."

"This is gonna be fun." Emma said with a chuckle.

-+s+-

Three weeks had passed. The three of them had been visited by yet another angel, throwing Dean and Sam into some kind of TV world, or so they told her when they got back – three hours later from getting coffee. "Really?" she had said, her eyebrow raised, as she folded the last of the clothes and put them into everyone's bags. "You leave me to do the laundry and you get to go on an adventure?" Dean had laughed and leaned down, kissing her forehead.

Now Emma sat in the passenger's seat of the Impala, parked at the edge of a boardwalk looking out at the Atlantic Ocean. The air was cold, blowing in softly from the passenger's window. She was staring at Dean, sitting beside her, tears gathering in her eyes.

"Emma?" Dean asked softly, "Did you hear what I said?" there was a long pause, "Will you marry me?"

Emma stared into Dean's emerald eyes for a long time before she even took a breath. She looked down at the simple, elegant ring in the box in Dean's hand. Licking her lips, Emma sniffed and felt a tear running down her face. "Emma?"

"Dean…"

"Yeah?"

Emma looked up and met Dean's eyes, giving him a smile, tinted with the tears running down her cheeks. "No…"


	13. Chapter 13 - Convention

**This one's and the next one's gonna follow the episode rather close, so hang in there with me.**

 **Ahh! So many upset readers! Sorry to leave y'all hanging like that. Here's Chapter 13. 14 should be up soon after (hopefully sometime this week), but I'm going to a big rave festival next weekend and got lots to do before – so if not this week then next week for sure. :) Enjoy!**

 **CHAPTER 13**

If it were up to Emma, she would have high tailed it right out of the hotel room, and right out of Dean Winchester's life, had he wanted her to. She missed the freedom of her old Chevy Silverado. She was already sick of the tension in the air. Emma sighed, sitting on the edge of the hotel bath tub and dropped her head into her hands.

"No?" Dean had asked, bewildered. Emma watched painfully as his cheeks turned red and he quickly closed the small velvet box. She had humiliated him. Emma had dropped her forehead into her hand, just as Dean had turned away. There was a long moment of heartbreaking silence before Dean cleared his throat. She heard the pain in his voice when he spoke next. "Do you, ah… Do you not love me anymore or something?" Emma let out a small laugh into her hand, choked off at the end.

"No, Dean. That's not it at all." She had said as she turned wide wet eyes to look at him. Dean's expression softened.

"Then what is it?"

Emma's breath hitched as she opened her mouth to speak. Painfully, her heart threatened to push out of her chest. In a rush of panic, Emma leapt from the car, choking out "I can't…" before taking off at a brisk pace down the boardwalk. The cold air bit her cheeks as she folded her arms across her chest. She didn't look back at the Impala, just kept walking.

"Emma?!" It took Dean a minute to catch up to her, stopping to stand in front of her. "Emma! Come on, talk to me. If you love me, then what's wrong with this? Emma tried to step around him, but he blocked her. "What is it?" he demanded. Emma moved her hair out of her face. She took a deep breath.

"Do you remember what I told you during that camping hunt?" she asked. Dean nodded as he put his jacket around her shoulders. She was shivering.

"You said that if you fell in love you'd run."

"Basically." Emma agreed quietly.

"But you haven't." Dean pointed out, tilting her chin up to look at him. She wouldn't look him in the eyes. "You've-"

"Dean, I'm scared." Emma said in a small voice. Dean was taken aback. She wasn't the type to admit it. "I can't lose you – not with so much to lose." Dean understood immediately, and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to his chest. "I just can't, Dean."

"It's okay, Em…" he said, but Emma could hear the sadness in his voice. "I'm sorry."

Emma, with her head in her hands in their hotel bathroom, sighed. Bobby had called her out on her lie on the phone an hour before.

 _"We both know this ain't got nothin' to do with you bein' ready or not. You're gonna have to tell Dean what happened."_

In the day since she had declined Dean's proposal, he hadn't kissed her but once. He hadn't quite looked her in the eye. Emma knew she was going to have to tell Dean the truth – or she was going to lose him forever.

-+s+-

Sam knew there was something wrong with his brother and Emma. Emma had taken a leap of faith to stay with Dean – he understood that. But he also saw in her the same love he had felt years ago – only now that was just beginning to fade to a memory. He would have defied every instinct to run if it meant he could be with her forever. Dean hadn't made any sex jokes, had barely touched Emma in the past day, and Sam knew if one of them didn't break their resolve soon – he was going to lose a woman he loved like a sister – and this time she wasn't going to come back.

The soft ding of his phone brought him out of his thoughts as he watched a stony faced Emma come out of the bathroom. "Hey guys?" he said, frowning, "I just got a message from Chuck."

"What message?" Chuck Shirley asked with a nervous smile as the three hunters stood outside a country hotel, the bright early afternoon sun brightening all the colors around them. Chuck was almost shaking.

"You texted me." Sam said, fishing for his phone. "This address – life or death situation. Any of this ringing a bell?"

"I didn't message you." Emma sighed and rubbed her eyes.

"We drove all night!" Dean complained.

Chuck held out his hands. "Guys, I'm sorry, but I really didn't. I – oh no…"

"What?" Emma asked with her eyebrows raised. Chuck didn't have time to answer.

"SAM!" A squealing voice shouted from the top of the stairs into the hotel. Emma and Dean looked up with a smirk. Sam blanched, "You made it!"

"Oh," Sam said as she came running down the stairs. Her hair was straight against the sides of her face, braces shining when she parted her lips. "Becky, right?"

"Oh you remembered!" Becky said. She leaned forward toward him. Emma hid her laugh behind Dean's shoulder. Her voice lowered, she continued, "You been thinking about me." Sam stuttered. "It's okay. I can't get you out of my head either." Chuck shuffled his feet, looking uncomfortable.

"Becky did you take my phone?" he asked. Becky grinned at him.

"I just borrowed it from your pants," she said, giggling.

"Becky…" Chuck groaned and ran his hand over the back of his neck.

"What?!" Becky shouted excitedly. Emma blinked, "They're going to want to see it!"

"See what?" Sam, Dean, and Emma asked cluelessly.

"Oh. My. God. I love it when they all talk at the same time!" It was Emma's turn to blanch.

"Hey Chuck?" The five of them looked up the stairs at a man who was holding a clipboard in his hand. "Come on, pal. It's showtime." Emma frowned as Becky excitedly squealed and ran up the stairs. Chuck gave a hopeless smile and wave, before turning to the hunters.

"I'm so sorry."

-+s+-

"I'm gonna kill him." Emma was saying as the three glanced around the hotel lobby. All around them were people dressed as 'characters' from Chuck's book. She saw a man dressed as Ash, a woman dressed as Bobby (she made a mental note to snap a picture later), and all kinds of monsters she or the boys had fought before. "I really am. What the hell is this?" Dean only shook his head in disbelief.

"Becky what is this?" Sam asked, his voice quiet.

"It's awesome!" she cried, leaving them to stand in the back of the auditorium they had been led into. "A supernatural convention, the first ever!" Emma frowned, looking over at Sam who was staring at the stage ahead of them with a deadpanned look on his face.

Emma glanced over at Dean, whom it was slowly dawning on what was going on, as a man stepped up onto the stage. Judging by his headset and clipboard, she assumed he was some kind of manager. "Welcome to the first annual Supernatural convention." He said, "At 3:45 in the Magnolia room, we have the panel: frightened little boy, the secret life of Dean." Emma stifled a laugh in her collar as Dean shook his head in violent opposition, "and at 4:30 there's the Homoerotic subtext of Supernatural discussion." This time, Emma had to turn toward the wall to keep from laughing. Dean's eyebrows shot up into his hairline. "Oh, and of course, the big hunt starts at 7pm sharp." The three hunters exchanged glances as the manager continued, "But right now, right now I'd like to introduce the man himself. The creator, the writer of the supernatural books. The one, the only, Carver Edlund!" There was a great outbreak of cheers and applause as Chuck timidly made his way onto the stage. He glanced back at Emma, Sam, and Dean who stared at him stonefaced. Emma lifted an eyebrow at him.

"Ok. Okay good, this isn't nearly as awkward as I…" Chuck cleared his mouth before taking huge gulps from a bottle of water. The room was filled with tense, anticipating silence. "So… I guess… questions?" Emma watched as every hand flew up into the air. She and Sam exchanged a pained glance. "Uh, you?" Chuck pointed to a skinny young man in the front row He leapt up.

"Hey, Mr. Edlund. Uh… big fan. I was just wondering, where'd you come up with Sam and Dean – and now Emma and Maggie – in the first place." At the mention of Maggie's name, Dean felt Emma tense up next to him. He reached her hand to lightly brush it against her back. Chuck glanced up at the three.

"Oh, ah… I… it just came to me." He finally said. A number of hands in the audience went up again. "Okay yeah, the hook guy?"

"A man stood up with hooks on his hands, tilting his head to the side. He had a heavy German accent as he spoke, "Ah, yeah. Why in every fight scene, Sam and Dean are having their gun knocked away by the bad guy? Why don't they keep it on some kind of bungee?" Dean huffed as Sam thought about it for a moment.

"I… yeah I really don't know."

"Ja. Follow up. Why can't Sam and Dean be telling that Ruby is evil? I mean she is clearly manipulating Sam into some kind of moral lapse. It's obvious nein?" Emma and Dean both turned to look at Sam, who was glowering.

"Hey!" Becky shouted as she walked over, "If you don't like the books don't read em, Fritz."

Chuck looked like he was going to pass out. "Okay, okay… just okay. It's okay. So. Next question." Hands shot up again and Emma leaned her head back against the wall. Dean had taken his hand off Emma's back.

"Yeah, at the end of the last book." A fan was asking, "Dean goes to hell. And we've only gotten glimpses of Emma and Maggie's backgrounds in your chapters online." Emma's amused expression dropped and she looked up at Chuck with her eyes practically glowing red. She looked down at her hands, now glowing a light white; she was beyond angry. "So what happens next?"

Chuck looked up at the three in the back, grimacing when he saw Emma's death glare his way, "Well, that's the announcement. Thanks to a wealthy Scandinavian investor, we're going to start publishing again." The room erupted into cheers, clapping, screaming, and people jumping from their seats. Emma, her hands still glowing, quickly fled out into the hotel lobby before she blew something up.

"In case you haven't noticed, our plates are kinda full, okay? Finding the Colt, hunting the devil. We don't have time for this crap." Dean was harshly telling Chuck as Emma came back to find them. A double shot was in her shaking hand. As the boys talked to Chuck in harsh, angry whispers, Emma was glancing around the room curiously. She glared suspiciously at the young woman dressed as Lilith but was even more taken aback by the wave of curly red hair standing beside her. An aching filled her chest as she, as if in a daze, made her way across the lobby and approached. The woman who turned around to greet her was not Maggie. Emma didn't know why she thought it would be for a moment. The two girls smiled at her, waving their hands. She put on her best peppy face and flipped her hair over her shoulder.

"Some party, huh?" she asked in a bright voice. The girls nodded, and she shook each of their hands in turn.

"You're even doing the accent." The Lilith gushed at her. Emma gave a fake smile.

"I heard from a friend that Emma was from Oklahoma." She said, as if she were shy.

"You mean you haven't read the new chapters yet? How do you know how Emma would dress?" Emma stumbled on her words for a second as she indicated Dean, who was still glowering at Chuck.

"That's my boyfriend over there. He told me what I should wear. I guess he read them." She decided to do a bit of digging, "What's in them anyways? Any juicy stuff?"

The girl dressed as Maggie clapped her hands and grabbed Emma's arms excitedly. Emma looked down at her arms and gave the girl an awkward look. "There is so much about Emma in there. You learn about how Bobby is like her dad – which I think is super sweet – and then there's the backstory with Liam!"

"What?" Emma cut her off in a serious tone, "What about Liam?"

"Carver didn't put a whole lot of details in there, but it's amazingly sad. Emma's still in love with him." Emma backed away from the two girls and looked back at where Chuck was standing with the boys.

"I'll catch y'all later." She said with a smile and took off back toward them. As she bumped Dean out of her way, she stood and pointed her finger at Chuck.

"We have to talk –" she was interrupted by a shrill woman's scream, that brought all the hunters (the real ones anyway) taking off toward the hallway. None of them heard Chuck yelling for them to wait behind them.

Emma followed Sam and Dean as they raced up the stairs. They found a maid in the corner of the hallway, crouched over. Sam reached down and helped her up. "Hey, are you ok?"

"I think so." The maid replied in a shaky voice. Emma gave a little frown.

"What happened?"

"I saw a ghost!" the woman said. Emma gave a sidelong glance at the boys as the crowd started gathering behind them.

A large guy pushed his way to the front. "A ghost?" he said in a very deep fake voice, "Could you tell us what it looked like?"

"Why don't you leave this to the grownups, pal."

"A woman." The maid continued, "She was in an old fashioned dress. Really old. Ike a school marm, or something?"

"Did she say something to you?" one of the guys in the back of the small crowd asked. The maid began to grin in front of them. Emma raised an eyebrow.

"Okay." She said, "Gather close everybody, for a terrifying tale of terror. I saw, a ghost!" Emma rolled her eyes and walked away, followed closely by the brothers. "None other than the ghost of Leticia Gore herself! I was on the third floor getting ice for a guest…" Emma tuned out the maid as they approached the wall where Becky was catching up to them.

"Ooo, the LARPing's started." She said with a grin.

"The… what is that?" Emma asked, irritated.

"Live Action Role Playing?" Becky asked, as if it were obvious. She turned to Emma with that look that Emma couldn't tell if it meant Becky wanted to kill her or wanted to be best friends, "It's a game. The convention puts it on." She reached over and handed Sam a piece of paper. Sam frowned as he read it.

"Dad's Journal. Dear Sam and Dean, this hotel is haunted. You must hunt down the ghost. Interview witnesses, discover clues, and find the bones. First team to do so wins a $50 gift card to Sizzler. Love Dad"

"You guys are soo gonna win." Becky said with a grin. Emma, again, walked away from the group. Sam and Dean followed her down into the hotel foyer.

"What the fuck is this?" Emma asked as they crossed into the room and found the manager talking to a group of people in suits.

"Well yes, Agents Lennon and McCartney, as manager of this fine establishment I can assure you that it is indeed haunted. This building was once an orphanage, run by mean old Leticia Gore. 100 years ago this very night, Miss Gore went insane, and butchered four little boys before killing herself. Now folks say that the souls of those poor little boys are trapped here and the evil spirit of Miss Gore punishes them to this very day." Emma and Dean exchanged a glance, suggesting they were feeling sick.

"Well, that's just about all the community theatre I can take." Dean said. Sam agreed. Emma watched as the girl dressed as Maggie passed in front of them and waved to Emma. She gave a wave back.

"Maggie would never wear that shirt." She said as she took in the woman's hoodie. "And she's not wearing enough eyeliner." Dean wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"She's not interrupting anyone either." Sam said in a quiet voice. Emma cleared her throat and looked down before detaching herself from Dean.

"I'm going to get another drink."


	14. Chapter 14 - Learning

**:)This one I'm anticipating is gonna be kinda long and we're also gonna learn a lot about Emma's past post-foster care. I won't be able to update until after the music festival, but I'll keep the ideas flowin' until next week. Enjoy!**

 **CHAPTER 14**

"This is sick." Emma said to Sam as the two of them leaned against the far end of the bar. Emma had what used to be tequila on ice in her hand. Dean had gone over to get a drink, and Emma watched as he sat and ordered it. "What kind of life do these people think we have?" Sam shook his head.

"Dunno. I guess it's easier to enjoy a 'good' story if you're not living it." The girl dressed up as Maggie was making her way across the room - she saw Emma and waved. Emma gave a little smile and waved back. Sam sighed.

"You know we changed everything." Emma said quietly, "Just by you coming back we changed the future that Dean and I saw," her voice cracked, "We don't know that she's coming back for sure anymore. I think it's time I… we started thinking about letting Maggie go." Sam looked down at the ground, running the back of his hand over his eyes.

He sighed again, "Yeah…"

Emma reached over to grab Sam's shoulder, rubbing it under her palm lightly, as she turned to check and see what was taking Dean so long. Her eyes narrowed when she saw him talking to a young woman in a ghost costume. Sam watched with wide eyes as Emma put one hand onto her hip and walked over.

"You don't seem afraid of women." The woman was saying. Dean flashed her a smile.

"He's gonna be." Dean jumped when he heard Emma's voice behind him. He turned around and gave her a grin.

"Hey Em, this is –"

"Leticia Gore. I've heard." The woman looked vastly uncomfortable in the tension that was building up between Emma and Dean. Emma could feel it. Quickly, the woman left without a word. Emma took the seat that she had been inhabiting.

"Are we broken up now? Is that what's going on here?" Emma spit fire at him. Dean frowned and shook his head, an angry look on his face.

"I dunno, angel, you tell me." He said. Emma glared harder.

"What does that mean?" she demanded in a low, furious voice, "I'm the one who's trying to make this work. I thought you understood why I said no – it don't mean I love you any less. You're the one who took that and is now hitting on other women! You were just hitting on her for fuck's sake!" Dean growled.

"You're the one who lied!" he exploded. People were starting to look over but Emma didn't care.

"What?" her blood ran cold. Dean knew he had her.

"You wanna tell me who Liam Donovich is?" he asked in a normal voice. Emma felt shivers running down her limbs and heat rising to her cheeks. "Yeah, that's right, I heard you talking in your sleep the other night. Something about a guy named Liam? Is he the reason you don't want to marry me?"

"That's none of your-" she was cut off, though, by a shouting coming from the entrance to the foyer.

"For the last time, I'm not making this up okay? She's upstairs, a real live dead ghost."

"This isn't over." Dean said as he and Emma got up from their seats and walked over. An uncomfortable looking Sam was on their heels.

"You saw something?" he asked the young man standing there with his friend. He scowled at Sam.

"This isn't part of the game, jerk." He snapped. He turned back to his friend as Emma and Dean exchanged troubled glances, "Look, I'm getting out of here and you should do the same." And with that, he walked away.

"Alex!" his friend cried, running after him, "Wait! Hey come back!" Emma looked over at the brothers. The tension from a few moments ago was gone. They were back in hunting mode.

"What do you think?" she asked.

Dean shook his head, "I don't think that guy's a good enough actor to be acting." Emma nodded her head, pulling her phone out of her pocket.

"I'll call Bobby."

"We'll go talk to the manager."

-+s+-

Sam and Dean came back from their trip to the attic, looking rather shaken up as Emma finally hung up the phone and walked over to them at the bar. "Okay," she said, "So I called Bobby and he referred me to a guy at the County Historical Society."

"And…?" Dean asked hopefully. "Not only did Leticia Gore butcher four boys, but one of them was her own son." Dean lifted an eyebrow.

"Her son."

"Yeah. According to the police, she scalped the kid."

"Oh that's it," Dean said shaking his head, "I'm gonna deep fry this bitch extra crispy. Dude say where she was buried?"

"Says he has no idea." Sam, meanwhile, was staring at a nearby table, where two guys were talking to each other in whispers.

"Check it out. There's the orphanage, here's the carriage house, and right there… cemetery." Emma and the brothers started walking that way.

"You think that's where Leticia's planted?" Emma saw that they had small nametags on. The one playing Dean was Demian, the other Barnes.

"It's worth a shot." Barnes was saying just as the three approached the table. Sam reached down to touch the map, before it was viciously ripped from under his grasp.

"Hey, do you mind?" Demian asked in a low, Dean-like voice. Emma made a face. Sam looked over at Dean.

"It's real. A century old, at least, and he's right, there is a cemetery on the grounds."

"Where'd you get that?" Dean asked sharply.

"It's called a game, pal. It ain't called charity." Emma stifled a laugh in her sleeve. Demian looked over and winked at her.

It was Dean's turn to scowl, "Yeah right. Gimme the map, Chuckles."

"Yeah well… you're the Chuckles, Chuckles. Besides, Dean don't listen to nobody." Ain't that the truth. Emma thought slyly. She watched with mounting amusement as Demian pulled back his jacket, revealing his plastic gun. Dean rolled his eyes.

"Dean! Cool it!" Barnes said to his friend. The real Dean, meanwhile, was pulling out his Taurus.

"Dean!" Sam exclaimed.

"What? They're freakin' annoying." Emma gave her sweetest smile and turned toward the two LARPers.

"Look, you guys. We all wanna find the bones, right? We just thought… it would go faster if we all worked together." Demian and Barnes looked at each other, before glancing back up at Emma.

"We get the sizzler gift card." Barnes said.

Dean rolled his eyes for what seemed like the millionth time today, "Fine."

"And we get to be Sam and Dean." Demian said. Emma watched as Dean and Sam exchanged looks.

"Fine." Dean said again.

Emma puffed smoke into the air as the five of them walked out of the hotel and across the courtyard, starting their way along a path. Dean and Sam walked behind them.

"I never imagined Emma as the type who smoked." Barnes was saying to her as they were walking. Emma looked at him, flatfaced, and blew out a puff of smoke. "Like it's so bad for you – wouldn't Emma know that?"

"I really don't think Emma would give a shit what you thought, considering it's none of your business." Emma replied to him with an eyebrow raised. Barnes looked chastised.

"Hey, Rufus, Bobby, would you hurry it up?!" Demian turned back to shout at the lagging Winchester brothers. Emma hung back for a moment and looked at htem.

"You all right?" she asked with a frown.

Dean sounded grumpy. "I'm trying to be." Ahead of them, the boys were pretending to act out a scene, a scene that – judging by their faces – Dean and Sam remembered from their own life.

"So what are ya going to do Sam? Are you going to kill me?"

"Man, I am so sick of you telling me what to do." Emma had to admit they weren't doing a terrible job. Dean seemed to disagree.

"All right, you know what. That's it. That is it."

"What's wrong Bobby?" Demian asked. Emma crushed her cigarette out in an ash tray.

Dean stumbled on his words for a moment, as angry as he was, "I am not Bobby okay? You're not Sam. You're not Dean. What is wrong with you? Why in the hell would you choose to be these guys?"

Barnes frowned, "Because we're fans. Like you."

"No. I am not a fan, ok. Not fans. In fact, I think that the Dean and Sam story sucks. It is not fun. It is not entertaining. It is a river of crap that would send most people howling to the nut house. So you listen to me. Their pain is not for your amusement. I mean do you think they enjoy being treated like... like circus freaks?" Emma grimaced.

"Uh… I don't think they care, because they're fictional characters!" Demian exclaimed.

"Oh they care. Believe me. They care a lot." Dean stormed off down the path, leaving the rest of the company to stare after him. Demian and Barnes turned back and looked at Emma and Sam. The two shrugged.

"He just takes the story really seriously." Sam offered.

Twenty minutes later found the five "hunters" in a cemetery, shining flashlights onto the gravestones.

"Here's the boys." Emma said, a tinge of sadness in her voice.

"And here's Leticia Gore." Emma and Dean walked over to where Sam was standing, watching confusedly as Demian and Barnes started tiptoeing around the cemetery.

"Whatcha doin?" Emma asked.

"We're looking for bones, genius." Demian said, back in his Dean character. "They gotta be around her somewhere."

"Okay." Dean said, his grip on his patience vastly dropping, "Usually bones are in the ground."

"Yeah I know that, I just…" he paused as Sam pulled the shovels out of his bag, tossing each Emma and Dean one. Emma had placed the spade in the ground, her boot resting on the top. "Wait hold on are you guys serious?"

"Deadly." Dean said.

"Trust us." Emma said, "You wanna win the game, right?"

Emma was sitting at the edge of the hole, holding a flashlight for Dean who was under her, digging out the last of the dirt from the grave. Dean grunted as he lifted the coffin lid, a skeleton lying inside. Emma nodded, a disgusted look on her face.

"That's not a plastic skeleton. That's a… skeleton skeleton!" Demian exclaimed.

"You just dug up a real grave."

"Yeah." Dean said from inside the grave. Emma reached a hand down and pulled him out, grunting in the process.

"You guys are nuts."

"I thought you wanted to be hunters." Sam said sarcastically.

"Hunters aren't real, man. This isn't real!" Demian said through heavy breathing. He and Barnes started to walk away.

"My God. You guys have really lost your grip on this."

"Naughty, naughty, naughty!" a woman's shrill voice shrieked from beside Sam, and they all turned to look just in time to see Sam being backhanded across the cemetery. Demian and Barnes stood there, horrified, before turning and starting to run away. Emma reached down and grabbed into an iron bar.

"Dean!" she shouted as Gore came at Dean at the duffel bag. He was pulling salt and kerosene out. With a swing of her arm, the ghost disappeared, and she crashed onto the ground. "Burn the grave!" she cried out as she turned to look at Gore standing in front of the other two boys, her hand in each of their chests. Emma turned to watch Dean drop his lighter into the grave just in time. The ghost burned up in front of their eyes, remnants of her disappearing into the wind.

It was dead silence as Dean sat down on the ground next to Emma, both of them breathing hard. The two others turned to look at them and Dean raised his eyebrows. "Real enough for you?" he asked. Dean reached his hand over and brushed Emma's leg, leaving a trail like fire, before looking over at her and meeting her eyes. Emma's face turned from emotionless to sadness and Dean gave her a little smile, before leaning over to place his lips on her forehead – gently like a whisper. "Thanks." He mumbled, and Emma nodded at him before smiling.

"Anytime."

-+s+-

"You need to take any mention of Liam out of your chapters. If I log in tonight when we get back to a hotel, and you have not done so, I am going to find you." Emma was just finishing warning Chuck as his manager walked over to talk to him. "I'm serious, I have a gun."

Chuck laughed like she said something funny, "Sounds great, yeah, let me know." He said with a smile in her direction. Emma smiled back at him.

"Hey Chuck." Dean said as he walked by. Emma strapped her belt onto herself tighter, "Good luck with the Supernatural books, and screw you very much." Emma gave Chuck a smile and the three of them turned to walk toward the door.

"Let's get the hell out of here." Emma mumbled as they reached the doors. She pushed on the handle, only to realize that the door had been locked. Pushing against them hard, Emma shook her head at the boys. They weren't budging.

"That's weird." Dean said.

"Definitely."

"Let's check upstairs, maybe?" Emma suggested and the three climbed up, searching through each room. After the fourth window they found was sealed, Emma shook her head and turned to look at Dean and Sam, who were checking another room. "This is weird."

"Like somebody's keeping us in." The three of them walked out into the hallway and toward another room as a woman screamed, rushing out of one of the rooms and falling into Dean's arms. It was the actor ghost woman.

"Don't go in there!" she shouted. Emma immediately walked toward the door.

"Get downstairs, okay?" Dean said, "Go, go!" When the Winchesters caught up with Emma, they saw her staring with her head cocked to the side down at the Gore boy, crouching in the corner and holding his head.

"Why'd you do that? Why did you send my mommy away?" he asked in a small voice. Emma crouched down in front of him.

"Uh, maybe because of the high and tight she gave you, huh? How about some thanks." Dean said in a snarky voice. Sam cleared his throat, "Well I'm just saying a little gratitude might be nice once in a while."

"My mommy didn't do this to me." The little boy cried. Emma watched in horror as the boy took his hands away from his head and revealed that some of his head had been scalped.

"Then who did?" she asked gently. The boy vanished. Just as Emma turned to look at the Winchesters they heard a loud male scream from down the hall. The three of them leapt up and vanished into the hallway, running toward the source of it. When they found him it was too late. The German man was lying on the ground, dead, scalped like the Gore boy who had been hiding in the other room.

"Shit…" Emma mumbled.

"Okay, new theory." Dean was whispering from the back of the auditorium. They had ushered all the guests and staff to sit inside. "The legends about Leticia are ass-backwards, obviously."

"I always thought it was back-asswards." Emma said thoughtfully. Sam gave her a look before he spoke.

"Yeah. So all right, let's say those three orphans were playing cowboys and Indians."

"LARPing as cowboys and Indians." Dean said with a smile. Emma gave him a look now.

"Whatever." She said, "And let's say they scalped Leticia's son and killed him."

"Mom catches them in the act, flips out, slices them and dices herself." Sam nodded.

"If that's true it means we've got three bloodthirsty brats in the building. And Leticia was the only one keeping them under control. Smooth move on our part."

"Yeah, well," Dean said, "We gotta get back to the cemetery, torch the kids' bones."

"How?" Sam asked, irritated, "We're trapped, we don't even have our guns! The ghosts are running this joint, and they're only scared of one thing."

Emma looked up at them, as if a lightbulb had been placed over her head. "Exactly!"

"Okay, so you guys get the ghosts to open the doors and hold them off, and I'll take those two to dig up the graves." Emma said as the three hunters stood in the hallway before one of the rooms.

"I don't think they should be going." Dean said with a shake of his head.

"Barnes and Demian said they wanted to help." she said. "I'll keep an eye on them."

"I don't wanna do this." The actress said in a shaky voice. The Winchesters finally nodded at Emma before she took off down the hall.

It was a few minutes before the doors even gave a little bit. Emma slipped out of the hotel, followed by Barnes and Demian. "Go, go, go!" she said and the three took off down the hill, Emma pushing her legs to go faster as the two wheezed behind her. Emma was the first to get to the graves first, dropping the bag of salt and can of kerosene beside her as she tossed each of them a shovel. "Let's go." She said and furiously began digging.

"Supernatural makes digging graves seem so easy!" Barnes exclaimed halfway through. "It's not though. I'm gonna throw up."

"No you're not. Keep going." Emma said encouragingly, her grave nearly finished. She thought she heard a shout from the hotel. "Hurry!"

When she was finished, Emma ran her hand over her neck to see that Demian was still only halfway with his. Barnes was getting close. "Look out." She said to Demian and helped him out of the grave. With a deep breath, she closed her eyes, ignoring the boy's whispers asking her what she was doing. She felt a familiar tingle running through her body, and when she forced her eyes open, she saw the dirt had flown out of the grave, landing in a pile a hundred feet away. "Whoops. Overshot." She mumbled to herself and went to open the casket. Emma began pouring kerosene onto the graves.

"How come Dean can always get it on the first try!" Demian exclaimed as he tried to flick the lighter on. "Come on!" he yelled. Emma rolled her eyes and lit matches, dropping each one into the graves that they had dug. The three of them stood there and watched the graves burn. One by one, Demian and Barnes looked over at her, their eyes wide.

"So… the dirt… how did you do that?" Emma only laughed.

-+s+-

An hour later found Emma sitting at the bar downstairs. There was no bartender there anymore. She was just staring at the wall in deep thought.

"Hey." A voice said beside her. Emma turned to see that the girl who was dressed like Maggie was sitting next to her. "You look like you could use someone to talk to." Emma ran her hand over the back of her neck.

"That obvious, huh?" she asked with a smile. This girl only smiled. "I just, uh… I wish I had my best friend around. She always knew what to do in this kind of a situation. I've never been good at the whole boy thing."

'Maggie' tilted her head, "What happened?"

"She's dead." Emma said quietly.

"No, I mean, the boy thing." Emma looked up, almost overcome with emotion as she looked at this girl dressed up as her best friend. "You don't have to tell me, I just-"

"No, no." Emma cut her off. "I just…" she sighed, "I used to be engaged to a guy that I really loved. And somethin' happened. I ain't ever felt pain like that in my life. And now… my boyfriend wants me to marry him, and we've got a tough job. I couldn't handle it if I lost him too." The girl sitting across from her nodded.

"Did you tell him any of this?"

"It ain't none of his business. I don't wanna talk about it." Emma said defensively. 'Maggie' smiled.

"Well it just seems to me like he doesn't understand. I think if you told him what you told me, he might take it a bit better than he seems to be." Emma realized she had seen their fight earlier. She nodded.

"I think I will do that." She said thoughtfully. The girl laughed.

"Well then go! I'm not gonna keep you around here – get up there and talk to him!" Emma laughed with her as she stood up from the table and pushed her chair in.

"Thank you." She said quietly.

'Maggie' flung her red hair over her shoulder, winked at her, and waved her fingers in a very Maggie-ish way. "No worries. Hope to see you at the next one."

"Yeah…" Emma said with a smile, "Maybe."

Emma Gordon came back to find Sam and Dean sitting in one of the hotel rooms, all of them tired. Emma went to wrapping a bandage around Dean's shoulder, Sam was walking toward the door. "I'm gonna go get some ice." He said, and disappeared out the door.

Emma and Dean were left in the hotel room alone. There was a few moments of silence before they both started talking at the same time.

"I'm sorry-"

"Emma, I'm sorry-" they both laughed and Dean leaned down to kiss Emma on the lips, the kiss she had been waiting for the past few days that made her knees weak and fireworks explode behind her eyes. "If you didn't want to say something about whoever this Liam guy is I shouldn't have pushed you. I was just worried."

Emma sighed and looked down at her hands with a small smile on her face. "He's not somebody you have to worry about." She was saying to him. Dean didn't say anything, though whether out of respect or wanting her to keep talking, Emma wasn't sure. She suspected the latter. "So, a few years before I met you guys…" she said without looking at him, "I was with a man named Liam Donovich. We had hunted together for a long time and… somehow just ended up falling in love." Emma took this time to glance up at Dean. He had a look on his face that was partly curious and partly possessive. "We had decided that our last hunt was going to be tracking and finding this demon we'd been looking for, for a long time. He had been following us, we saw him all the time. And at that point we were going to retire and get married." Dean frowned, and Emma ran the back of her hand over her eyes, which were beginning to water. She looked up at the ceiling, the same cold feeling that she felt whenever she thought about him running down her body. "And…" her voice broke. Dean put his hand on top of hers. "We found him one night. Um. Liam had wanted to talk to him before we sent him back to hell. So I let him – and we found out that the demon that had been following us around was working for another demon named Lilith." Everything made a lot more sense to Emma now than it had then. "And somehow, while we went out to talk, the demon got loose. We were both beaten up pretty bad." As Emma spoke, she found her face was tear streaked, her voice shaking. "Liam… um… he didn't make it. And neither…" Emma let out a quiet sob as she looked toward the window, anywhere but seeing the guilty look on Dean's face. "Neither did the baby I was pregnant with." Dean brought in a sharp intake of breath. "I didn't know. Otherwise I wouldn't have gone. They told me at the hospital." Emma finally looked back at Dean with wide eyes, "And I'm so sorry, but I can't go through that again. I love you," Dean smiled at her gently, "more than I ever loved him. I know what love looks like now… it's… whenever you touch me it's like…"

"Electricity." Dean finished for her.

"Yeah." She said with a smile at him. Dean brought her face, wet with tears to his chest, and wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm never gonna leave you." He mumbled. Emma smiled. She climbed to sit closer to him, before the two of them fell asleep against the headboard of the hotel bed. Sam, who had been listening outside, smiled a little bit and walked back down the stairs.

-+s+-

"You're wrong you know." Demian was saying early the next morning as he and Emma were turning to leave. The two turned back to look.

"Sorry?" Dean asked.

"About Supernatural. No offense but I'm not sure you get what the story's about." Emma smiled a little bit and looked down as Dean quirked up an eyebrow.

"Is that so."

"All right. In real life, he sells stereo equipment. I fix copiers. Our lives suck. But to be Sam and Dean, to wake up every morning and save the world. To have a brother who would die for you, and friends who love you. Well who wouldn't want that?" With every word he said, Demian got more and more passionate. Emma turned to look at Dean with a little smile on her face, kissing his cheek.

"Maybe you got a point." Dean said thoughtfully, "You know, you two don't make a bad team yourselves. How do you know each other anyway?"

"Oh." Barnes said slightly bashfully. "Well, we met online. Supernatural chat room." Dean grinned.

"Oh. Well it must be nice to get out of your parent's basement. Make some friends." Emma smiled, trying to contain her laughter.

"We're more than friends." Demian said. Emma watched as he took Barnes's hand, intertwining their fingers together. Emma's eyebrows raised. "We're partners."

"Oh." Dean stuttered, "Wow. Ahem. Howdy partners." Barnes grinned.

"Howdy."

"Well we should be going," Emma said, smiling. "It was nice meetin' y'all. Have a good… life." She quickly turned and walked away with Dean before the image of the two brothers holding hands could sear itself into her brain any quicker. The two of them came to lean against the Impala, Emma leaning on the front of Dean and kissing him. Dean was smiling at the ground, Emma tucked into his side as Sam came back.

"You okay?" he asked them both. Dean was the one who answered.

"Yeah, you know? I think I'm good."

"Well you're not going to believe it," Sam said smiling at them, "but I got a lead on the Colt."

"No way?" Emma said with a grin, Dean looked confused.

"Long story." Sam said, "I'll tell you on the way?"

"What are we waiting for?" Dean asked and the three of them hopped into the Impala, and made their way out of the parking lot of the worst hotel stay they had ever experienced.

As Emma leaned back in the backseat of the Impala, she sighed, reaching her hand up to run it through her hair. The three drove in silence, nothing penetrating the quiet of the car besides the rock coming through the speakers at a low volume. Emma was waiting for it when her phone vibrated in her pocket. She took it out and flipped it open, her face crumpling when she saw the text. She had been getting it every Saturday for four years. The same text, the same time, the same dead man.

Emma. Baby? Are you there? I don't know where I am. SOS.

It was from Liam.


	15. Chapter 15 - A Date with the Devil

**CHAPTER 15**

 **A Date with the Devil**

"Take her into pre-op now!"

"Sir – I'm gonna need you to stand back-"

"I need to go in there –"

"Sir, stand BACK. These nurses –"

"EMMA!"

"-will look you over."

"Doctor, her blood pressure –"

"I see it. Fuck pre-op. Go."

"She's flat lining!"

"Emma… Emma!"

The waiting room of the hospital was cold. "Is she gonna be okay?" the hunter in the waiting room asked anxiously as a nurse walked through the door. His fists were clenched at his sides.

"There's no way to tell for sure yet. She's got significant trauma to her chest and she's lost a lot of blood. She was bleeding internally as well."

"Can I see her?"

"She's in the ICU." Upon seeing the look of desperation and sadness on his face, the nurse's features softened and she looked around. "I can let you in for a minute. But that's it."

The hunter's boots squeaked against the ground as he followed the nurse into the tiny, dark ICU room, where a blonde woman was lying still on a bed. All manner of machinery was hooked up to her skin, making her look small and shrunken against the white pillowcases. Dean Winchester's eyes tingled, and he ran one hand over them as he took a step toward the bed. The nurse retreated toward the door quietly. "Two minutes." She warned him and he nodded.

"Angel?" his voice was quiet as Dean knelt next to her bed, one knee on a chair. "Shit, baby. I'm so sorry I got you into this mess. You don't…" His voice trailed off as he watched the small hand in his twitch. With hope filled eyes he turned his eyes toward Emma's, watching in awe as they fluttered open. He was just opening his mouth to greet her when her body slumped back again.

"Sir, you have to go!" Dean's vision was blurred as he was pushed out the door, nothing but the sound of shouting nurses and a long strained beep coming from the ICU room. Something in the back of his mind told him this could be it. It might be finally time to let her go in peace.

 **36 HOURS EARLIER**

Emma Gordon's eyes still held the flash of a camera lens when she walked outside, leaving Bobby, Castiel, the Winchester brothers, Ellen and Jo behind in the old house. Beer in hand, she tossed a pack of Marlboros onto the ground before sitting beside them. The night air was cool, brushing her blonde bangs against the sides of her face. She sighed and lit a cigarette before taking a swig of her beer.

"Listen, Daddy," her voice was quiet, but she knew he could hear, "I dunno if you've heard but tomorrow we're going to hunt the devil. And I sure appreciate you looking after me all these years and I bet you need a break but… if you could keep an eye on us for one more day, I'd be real thankful." The same old cricket sounds were the only thing she heard in the dead of night – save the deep laughter from inside the house. Emma didn't move when she heard the screen door creak and felt the familiar weight and soft electric feeling of Dean sitting next to her.

"Hey," Dean said as he nudged her with his shoulder lightly. Emma looked over at him with a smile teasing the sides of her mouth.

"Hey."

"Look, I'm sorry for the whole Crowley thing. You shouldn't have had to be in there." Emma's tinkling laughter responded to him.

"It's okay. He's a demon, and I've been through worse than he put me through. He's nothing that I can't handle." Dean smiled and rubbed his hand along her arm. "Lucifer's nothing we can't handle either, y'know." His hand stopped and clenched against her skin for a moment.

"Yeah I know. We'll be okay."

The two hunters sat, arm in arm, staring off into the junkyard they had grown up in as the laughter floated out the windows. Dean leaned down over Emma and kissed her softly.

"Last night on earth, y'know." Emma turned and smiled at him before silently leading him through the party inside and up the stairs.

-+s+-

Emma's eyes followed the telephone pole as Dean and Sam's Chevy Impala slowly rolled through the center of Carthage, Missouri. Missing signs were tacked down the side of it, and Emma turned her eyes back to the phone in her hand. "Still no service." She updated the two men in front of her.

"You getting anything?" Sam asked his brother.

"Nope. Nice and spooky." Emma peeked her head behind her to where Ellen and Jo Harvelle were following them in their own car, both looking at their own cell phones. Great. Emma watched as they pulled up next to the Impala.

"Seems empty doesn't it?" Ellen raised her voice out the window. Jo and Emma met eyes for a moment and Emma shrugged.

"Yeah," Dean replied, "we're gonna go check out the PD. You guys stay here, see if you can't find anybody."

"Here lemme out." Emma was saying as Ellen pulled over to the side of the road. "I'm gonna see if I can't help Castiel." Emma gave Dean a quick kiss on the lips as she walked away from the side of the car, hopping the curb and approaching the other three just as Jo was staring at Castiel, who had appeared outside of the car. She nudged Jo's arm with her hand and the two of them exchanged a look.

Emma Gordon and Jo Harvelle had known each other most of Jo's older life. Maggie had introduced Emma to the Harvelle family years and years ago, and Jo had never lost touch with her. Emma had heard that she and her mother were hunting together now. She had heard of Jo's adventures hunting on her own with the Winchester brothers. Jo had cried when Emma died. Knew about Liam Donovich. Knew about all of it. The two had sat in silence on the phone with each other when Emma had delivered the news of Maggie's disappearance. The two blondes now stood shoulder to shoulder as Ellen, who had been as much a mother to Emma as she was to Jo, squinted at the clouds.

"What is it Cas?" Ellen asked. Emma inspected Castiel's features as his eyes flitted across the empty streets.

"This town's not empty."

"Yes it is."

"Reapers." Cas said quietly. Emma squinted her eyes, but could see nothing besides the empty pavement.

"I can't see anything." Emma said reproachfully as she looked at the angel. Castiel didn't meet her gaze.

"Look harder." Emma blinked a few times in preparation before breathing slowly, focusing on the light and heat in her chest. When she opened her eyes the fourth time, she was astounded and took a step back.

"Wha –" she stuttered at the rows and rows of older men in suits standing in a row and staring in the same direction. "Reapers!"

"As in more than one?" Ellen asked hesitantly. She had never liked Emma's fingerprint trick, and thought the burden of angel powers on the girl was enough to break her. Emma looked impressed with herself, though, as she cast a glance back at the woman.

"They only gather like this at times of great catastrophe." Castiel said, frowning as he continued to stare at them, "Chicago Fire. San Francisco Quake, Pompeii. Excuse me, I need to find out why they're here."

"Do you need my help?"

"Stay here." Cas shook his head and started walking off into the street. Emma, Ellen, and Jo each exchanged glances before Emma's eyes rested over Jo's shoulder. A flash of red hair distracted her and Emma quickly rounded the two women.

"Check out the town. Meet you back here." She said absently as she walked down the sidewalk. The red flashed around a corner, and Emma took off at a run, leaving Ellen and Jo to wonder what was going on behind her.

-+s+-

"Maggie?!" Emma cried into the silence, narrowly avoiding the reapers as she took off down the sidewalk. Now that she could see the back of the figure running, she was sure it was her friend, and she picked up speed. Just as Maggie's figure turned the corner, Emma cut over through a yard before leaping over a fence. Just as she swung over a fence, she came down hard on a figure. Emma groaned as she rolled onto the ground before leaping up and grabbing the front of the figure's shirt and slamming her against the wall.

It was Maggie.

The woman's bright blue eyes were a little dimmer, her face a little filthy, but the curve of her mouth as she looked at her best friend was the same. Emma let go of her quickly, taking a step back as the two of them stared at each other – blue and green. Emma didn't speak first. Maggie sighed and blinked slowly before opening her own mouth.

"You need to leave here." She said, her voice low and dangerous. Emma had never heard her speak like that before.

"What? I'm not leaving you here. You gotta come with me. Where have you been? What's going -"

"I can't go with you." Maggie turned to the side and moved to take a step.

"What?!" Emma shouted and took a step toward her friend. "Why?!"

"I can't go with you."

Emma grabbed onto Maggie's arm and yanked her back toward her. "Yes you can! Dean and Sam are here, we can get you out of here!" There was a moment of silence as Maggie turned to look at her friend. She gave Emma a small, sad smile. Emma frowned and let go of her. "Is it Lucifer?" she asked quietly. Maggie only raced forward for a heart stopping moment and grabbed onto Emma, hugging her tightly around the shoulders.

"I gotta go."

"Maggie!" Emma didn't even have a chance to chase after her as Maggie disappeared into thin air. The hunter was left standing there, staring open mouthed in the direction her friend just was, before turning on her heel and racing back toward the cars.

"Emma!" Dean was standing on the other side of the street as Emma came running around the corner, her head spinning. "Where did you go?" Emma shook her head and adjusted the shotgun holder on her back. Dean glanced appreciatively at it.

"I'll tell you about it later."

"You okay?" Ellen asked and Emma nodded.

"Yeah let's just get this taken care of. Did Cas come back?"

The five of them were walking down the street, shotguns and rifles in their hands as they all kept an eye open around them.

"Well, this is great." Dean said rolling his eyes. "Been in town twenty minutes and already lost the angel up our sleeve." Emma shook her head, disappointedly, and kept an eye behind them.

"You think, uh, you think Lucifer got him?" Sam stuttered out. Emma sighed.

"I don't know what else to think."

"There you are." A voice came from behind them, a new voice to Emma but she could see by the tense in Sam's shoulders that they knew who the woman standing there was.

"Meg."

The dark haired woman stood dressed in black at the end of the street. Emma pointed her shotgun at the demon, tilting her head to the side and glaring. "Shouldn't have come here, boys."

"Hell, I could say the same thing for you." Dean raised his arm, the Colt they had taken from Crowley clenched in his hand. Emma narrowed her eyes.

"Didn't come here alone, Deano." Meg gave the five of them a sickening smile before the sounds of growls rang through the air. The end of Emma's shotgun flew to the left and right as she swung her body around, looking for the source of the growls. Jo's breathing picked up and Dean's eyes were wide as saucers. He protectively stood by Emma.

"Hellhounds." He growled, narrowing his eyes. Emma felt her heartbeat speed up as she glanced from side to side.

Meg smiled. "Yeah, Dean. Your favorite. Come on, boys. My father wants to see you. Especially you." She pointed at Emma who quietly, shifted her gaze from Dean to Sam and back.

"I think we'll pass thanks." Sam said sarcastically.

"Your call." Meg said, shrugging her shoulders, "You can make this easy or you can make it really, really hard."

Dean turned his head around his shoulder, first meeting eyes with Ellen and then with Emma. The both of them nodded, Emma's eyebrow tilted. She cocked her shotgun.

"When have you known us to ever make anything easy?" Dean said with a smile. Emma tilted her shotgun and shot one of the hellhounds, black blood spurting out and onto the floor.

"Run!" Sam shouted and everyone turned on their heels. Sam led the pack, Ellen close behind him with Jo at her side. Dean had reached out and grabbed Emma's hand, but let go as he turned around and held out his shotgun, firing round after round.

"Dean!" the shrill sound of Jo's voice made Emma turn around, stumbling as she did to see Dean lying on the ground, holding his gun in front of his face and struggling against something unseen. Emma held out her gun, aiming and praying as her bullet hit the hound. Dean seemed to be free for a moment as he scrambled to his feet, but with a slight turn of the head Emma watched in horror as Jo shot a hound over and over again, seeming to keep it at bay.

"Jo!" Emma watched as the world seemed to move in slow motion. Jo fell to the side, her side ripping open and blood splashing onto the ground.

"No!" Ellen screamed and Emma took off toward the girl, and felt the breath of the hound as she shoved herself in between the dog and Jo. Her hands shook, and as she threw them out in front of her, a blinding white light flew from her hands and with the whining of a dog Emma watched with blurry vision as the flash of red dogs flew through the air. Dean reached down and grabbed Emma, dragging her to her feet as Sam scooped Jo into his arms, and they ran down the street.

"In there!" Emma pointed toward a ramshackled hardware store. Dean held onto her tighter around the waist as they rushed into the store. Dean ran over and grabbed chains, wrapping them around the doorknobs as Emma leaned against the wall, her vision blurring.

"Emma?" Emma held out her hand toward Dean and shook her head.

"I'm fine." A realization hit her and Emma turned to see Sam gently lowering Jo onto the ground. Jo was holding her hands onto her side, whimpering in pain, and Emma's stomach turned over when she saw blood seeping through her fingers.

"Jo, baby." Ellen was leaned over her daughter, her voice shaking. "You're gonna be okay. Okay, okay, okay, okay – breathe now..." To the mantra of a devastated mother repeating those words, Emma began to shake. It didn't look good. Her surprised shout made all of them turn and look at her as the door slammed out from behind her, the familiar sound of growling coming from behind her. The hellhounds were back.

"You didn't kill them?" Dean asked as he reached out and pulled her away from the door.

"Guess not." She whispered.

"Go, go, go…" Sam said and Dean and he grabbed bags of rock salt and frantically dumped it along the windows and doorways. Emma rushed to Jo's side, reaching out and pulling Jo's hand away from her side. Blood spurted out, splashing Emma on her chest, soaking her shirt. Ellen and Emma looked at each other, horrified, before Emma turned to Dean.

Dean started looking around the hardware store. "We gotta get a hold of Bobby. Think we can make a radio with all this?" Dean took a deep breath before kissing her on the forehead.

"Yeah."

-+s+-

Emma was using a wipe to sop the blood off of her skin, giving up on ever saving her shirt again as Ellen slowly leaned her daughter back against the cabinets of the hardware store. The slow growl of the hellhounds just outside the chains told them they were all still there. The white bandages around Jo's abdomen were slowly getting soaked in red, and Ellen held her daughter's hand tightly until Sam reached down and handed her a bowl. "Gonna be alright," she smoothly lied to herself and Jo. Emma was fighting the tears prickling the corners of her eyes, and shook her head to clear it.

"How's she holding up?" she heard Dean ask from across the small store. Arms folded, she walked across the room and took a look at what they were doing.

"Salt lines are holding up." Sam replied. His voice was low and monotone. Emma brushed her hand across his arm.

"Safe for now."

"Safer." Sam scoffed, "Trapped like rats."

"Hey," Dean said, giving his brother a side glance, "you heard Meg. Her father's here. This is our one shot, Sammy. We gotta take it, no matter what." Sam didn't reply, only looked down at the ground.

"Emma? Sam? Some help here, please?" Sam touched Emma's arm and took off to the doorway where Ellen was hovered over Jo.

"I got it." Dean mumbled and Emma came to stand next to him, looking down at the makeshift radio in front of them. "K C 5 Fox Delta Oscar, come in." Dean spoke clearly into the mouthpiece.

When Bobby's voice came in, "K C 5 Fox Delta Oscar, go ahead." Emma almost fainted with relief.

"Bobby," Dean said meeting eyes with Emma, "It's Dean. We got problems."

Emma heard the sigh through the mouthpiece. "Is Emma okay?" Emma took the piece from Dean and spoke into it.

"I'm okay Bobby. We're in trouble."

"It's okay, that's why I'm here." Emma and Dean exchanged a glance. Dean reached out and grabbed Emma's hand. "Is everybody okay?"

"No." Dean said, "It's – it's – "

"It's Jo." Emma said, her voice flat, "Bobby, it's pretty bad."

"Okay." Bobby's voice was steady on the other line, "Copy that. So now we figure out what we do next."

Emma felt a tear run down her cheek and she cried a little in her next sentence. "Bobby, I don't think she's – "

"I said, what do we do next?"

"Right, okay, right." Dean said and Emma handed him the mouth piece. She clenched her hair in her fists and lowered herself onto the ground. It was not the time to freak out, but Emma couldn't help but look at the situation around them with anything but regret. How had they been so stupid? How could they have thought that five rogue hunters and a broken angel were going to find Lucifer and kill him?

"Now, tell me what you got." Emma tuned out as Dean explained their situation. Ellen had walked over, and as she did Emma stood up, letting the woman wrap her arms around her and hold her in a bone crushing grip.

"It's gonna be okay," Ellen whispered in her ear, "It has to be." Emma nodded.

"Before he went missing, did Cas say how many reapers?"

"Hundreds." Emma spoke up from behind Dean and grabbed the mouthpiece. "I could see them too. They're everywhere."

"I don't like the sound of that."

"Nobody likes the sound of that Bobby, but what – uh – what does that sound like?"

"It sounds like death, son. I think Satan's in town to work a ritual." Emma blinked and nodded her head. "I think he's planning to unleash Death."

"The horseman."

"The pale rider in the flesh, yeah. This is the angel of death. Big daddy reaper. They keep this guy chained in a box six hundred feet under. Last time they hauled him up, Noah was building a boat. That's why the place is crawling with reapers. They're waiting on the big boss to show." Emma frowned.

"You have any other good news?"

"In a manner of speaking." There was a pause as Dean's hand tightened in Emma's hand. She looked over and met eyes with him and could see the sheer terror behind his eyes. She was sure he could see hers too. She squeezed his hand in response. "I been researching Carthage since you've been gone, trying to suss out what the devil might want there. What you just said drops the last piece of the puzzle in place. The angel of death must be brought into this world at midnight through a place of awful carnage. Now, back during the Civil War, there was a battle in Carthage. A battle so intense the soldiers called it the Battle of Hellhole."

"Where'd the massacre go down?" Dean asked.

"On the land of William Jasper's farm." Emma, Dean and Sam exchanged glances.

Emma cleared her throat, forcing her body into hunting mode. "You got a map on you?"

-+s+-

"Now we know where the devil's gonna be." Emma was saying as she checked the salt lines on the windows and doors. We know when, and we have the Colt."

"Yeah." Sam said, "We just have to get past eight or so hellhounds and get to the farm by midnight."

"Well we need to get Jo and Ellen the hell out of town." Dean turned to Emma. "Which I think you should take charge of."

"What?" Emma said, furrowing her brow. "You expect me to let you two go on your own?"

"You have your light thing, maybe you can hold them off."

"That's a pretty big maybe, Dean."

"Stop." Jo finally spoke up and the whole room fell silent. Ellen glanced from the boys to her daughter, eyes wide and wet. "Guys, stop. Can we, uh, be realistic about this, please?" Emma lowered herself onto her knees and grabbed Jo's hand in hers. Jo looked straight at Emma, willing her to understand what she was about to say, "I can't move my legs. I can't be moved. My guts are being held in by an ace bandage." Her face was pale, "We gotta – we gotta get our priorities straight here." Realization hit Emma and she rocked back onto her legs, feeling sick. "Number one, I'm not going anywhere."

"Joanna Beth, you stop talking like that." Ellen said through a broken voice.

"Mom. I can't fight. I can't walk. But I can do something." Emma frowned, tears welling up in her eyes, "We got propane, wiring, rock salt, iron nails, everything we need."

"Everything we need?" Sam whispered. It dawned on Emma and she nodded her head.

"To make a bomb."

"Right."

"No, Jo." Dean said firmly. "No."

"You got another plan? You got any other plan?" Jo shouted, "Those are hellhounds out there, Dean. They've got all of our scents. Those bitches will never stop coming after you. We let the dogs in, you guys hit the roof, make a break for the building next over. I can wait here with my finger on the button, rip those mutts a new one. Or at least get you a few minutes' head start, anyway."

"No, I – I won't let you." Emma stayed silent.

"If I can get us a shot on the devil – Dean, we have to take it."

"I can try and heal you." Emma's voice was hoarse with emotion. "I can try and use the light to heal you."

"It'll knock you out, Em." Jo said with a smile. "They need you to get to the devil. This was way past you from the very beginning."

"Let me try." Emma said, leaning her hands forward. Jo pushed her arms, holding her back.

"No. I'm serious." Ellen was shaking her head, tears running down Emma's face and onto Jo's jeans. The three women looked at each other. "Mom, this might be literally your last chance to treat me like an adult. Might wanna take it?" Jo said through a smile. Ellen turned her face into her hands and began sobbing, ripping Emma's heart out with every heave. Emma stared at Jo, and just like sisters knew what the girl was thinking. Emma knew she was right.

"You heard her." She turned her head to look at the boys, "Get to work." She sat with her arm wrapped around Ellen's shoulders as Jo pointed and gave directions. By the time night had fallen, there were lines of bombs connected with wires, all leading to the button that Dean pressed into Jo's hand. Emma was crying at this point, her head on Jo's shoulder and rubbing her leg softly.

"Okay," Dean said quietly, "this is it. I'll see you on the other side." He looked at Emma. "Probably sooner than later."

"Make it later. You take care of her. Or I'll haunt your ass." Jo responded and Dean smiled a little as he reached down to take Emma's hand.

"Wait," she said and pulled her hand out of Dean's, turning on her knees once more to look at Jo. "I can do this. It's not too late to change our minds. Please." Jo started crying, and Emma leaned over to wipe the tears off the girl's face.

"It's okay. Love you, Em."

Emma let out a sob and wrapped Jo in her arms gingerly. Blood seeped onto her skin again but she felt nothing. "I love you too."

"C'mon." Dean leaned down and pulled Emma onto her feet, tucking her into his side as she wiped her hand across her face. Emma watched in horror as Ellen came to sit next to Jo, making herself comfortable and smiling at her daughter.

"Mom, no." Jo started protesting but Ellen cut her off.

"Somebody's gotta let them in." she said with a smile, "like you said, you're not moving. You got me, Jo. And you're right, this is important… but I will not leave you here alone."

"Ellen no." Emma whispered and Ellen turned to look up at her and smiled.

"You've always picked yourself up and moved on just fine, Emma." She said, nodding her head, "You can do it this one more time."

"I ain't gonna –"

"Of course you are. Put your chin up, girl. Right now. And get out there and kill that son of a bitch." Emma whimpered just for a moment and nodded her head, leaning down to kiss Ellen on the forehead and turn away.

"Dean—" Sam warned. They were closing in on time.

"Ellen –"

"Get going boys."

"No, wait—" Emma turned around, as if waiting one more moment would suddenly reveal to them a better answer, an alternative.

"I said go."

The three hunters turned and started walking away, leaving the two women leaned against a counter in a puddle of blood. "And Dean?" Dean turned his head to look back, "Kick it in the ass. Don't miss." She said firmly.

"Yes ma'am." Dean nodded and led the other two in a run up onto the roof.

"Go, go, go," Emma whispered and followed Sam down a ladder into an alleyway. Dean followed close behind right on Emma's heels as the three of them took off down the street. When Emma was sure she was out of the blast radius she stumbled to turn around. "Wait –" she said again, as if it were all she could say. But whatever she was going to utter next was drowned out by the wave of heat against her body and the ringing in her ears as the hardware store blew up, fire shooting into the air until the building was nothing but a shell, surrounded in flames. Emma's hands flew to her mouth and she let out a pained scream, mixed with a sob. She doubled over as Dean reached around and grabbed onto her shoulders.

"We gotta go." He said, quietly brooding, and the three of them took off again down the street.

Emma's tears were drying on her face as the three of them snuck through bushes, their bodies low to the ground. In front of them was a clearing, dozens of men standing at attention on something that none of them could see.

"Guess we know what happened to some of the townspeople." Dean said, glancing at his brother and Emma. Emma nodded.

"Last words?" Sam turned to the two of them and asked. Emma reached forward and wrapped her arms around the tall man, holding him close to her before pressing her lips to Dean's as she engulfed him in a hug as well.

"I love both of you so much." She said quietly. Sam's lips tightened and he looked at the ground before clearing his throat.

"Anything else?"

"I'm good."

"Me too."

"Yeah." Dean looked over and nodded at Sam and Emma as the two of them stood up. Sam led them into the clearing. "Here goes nothing."

In the center of the clearing Lucifer was filling a hole. Emma and Sam exchanged a glance and stepped forward toward him.

"Hey!" Sam shouted angrily. Lucifer dropped his shotgun turning to face the two.

"You wanted to see us?" Emma's voice was dangerous and sent a shiver up Dean's spine.

"Emma Gordon." Emma stepped closer, holding her hand out for Sam to stay where he was. Her hands were shaking but her gaze was steady as she met the eyes of the man standing in the clearing. His face was covered in burns, head tilted to the side. Emma's chest rose and fell as she met the devil's eyes, matching his fire with her own. "You're beautiful."

"You know, I read that you were supposed to be the most beautiful angel," Emma fired back, "But there seems to be something wrong with your face." Lucifer's laughter floated through the air, like fingernails on a chalkboard to Emma's ears.

"Such fire. I hope you enjoyed the gift I sent you earlier. The redhead was reluctant to go."

"Where is she?" Emma growled, her fists shaking at her sides. "What did you do with her you son of a bitch?!"

Lucifer's laughter rang out in the clearing again. Dean was watching from his place on the ground. "Not many people would dare talk to the devil that way. Of course you'll be the one."

"The one what?" Emma growled and adjusted her stance.

"Oh you haven't heard." Lucifer took steps toward her, and Emma found herself rooted to the spot. Lucifer ran his finger over his shoulder, leaving a trail of pain behind it. Emma's eyes closed and she held back a tiny whimper behind tight lips. "I'll have to tell you. You should know _why_ you need to die before I kill you." Her lips were still tight against her teeth as Emma opened her eyes and turned to look at the devil, who was standing just beside her shoulder now. He was too close for Dean to get a good shot. She was going to have to get him away from her. Emma was gearing up, the light in her chest glowing for what could be the last time when what the devil said next knocked the wind out of her chest.

"There's going to be a war." He said, tapping a stray piece of Emma's hair. "Many years from now. A final battle between angels and demons. It'll wipe out the population of the Sahara last the estimate was floating around. And you are going to play one hell of a role in the victory of the angels, Emma. No pun intended. Well, not you." Lucifer smiled and Emma thought for a moment she saw a hint of genuine pride in his eyes, "It's your child. Your child will lead the angels to victory." Emma felt as if all the air had been stolen from her lungs, as she lost her posture for just a moment and leaned herself forward a bit. Lucifer came to stand in front of her. He was still hiding behind Emma. Dean couldn't take a shot. "And we can't have that can we?"

"There won't be any children." Emma said defensively, although her voice broke. "Zachariah made sure of that." One hand went to her stomach. Lucifer made a saddened face at her, his mocking tone and evil glint in his eye gone.

"I know how badly you wanted a child." He said to her, his voice soft and almost comforting. "But I can't take any chances." Lucifer, with an apologetic frown at her, and ignoring the scream of Sam Winchester clenched his hand over her chest. Emma choked, engulfed by a sharp pain in her chest. She felt her bones breaking under his fingertips, and blood bubbled out her lips. White light flickered in her palms as she tried to call it forward, but nothing was happening. She was in too much pain. Emma felt the world around her spinning as her knees gave out and she landed on the ground. Lucifer leaned down from where he was standing, his hand following Emma down. Her heart would stop soon.

What he didn't see coming was the other Winchester come flying out from the trees. Dean stood behind Emma and held out the Colt against Lucifer's forehead before pulling the trigger. Emma heard the bang above the pulsing of blood in her ears before she fell back into the grass.

"No, no, no." Dean cried as he dropped to his knees. Emma's mouth was red with blood, and a slash could be seen leading from a burning hole in her chest to her belly button. "No, baby, not again. Emma? Emma honey wake up." She was bleeding all over the ground. Dean took off his jacket and ripped the buttons to his shirt, pressing it down onto her stomach as hard as he could. He felt the warm blood on his fingers and an angered shout ripped through his throat.

"Dean…" Sam said standing beside his brother. He was staring at the body of Lucifer lying on the ground.

"We gotta get her out of here."

"Dean!" Castiel had just landed above Emma's head, and Dean looked up at the angel as Sam shouted his name again. Lucifer was stirring. He was moving. He wasn't dead.

"Owwww…"

"Take her!" Dean ordered as he stood up, and with a flutter of wings Castiel lifted Emma into his arms and they were gone.

Sam and Dean were racing back to the Impala, pumping their legs as fast as they could until they came to a skid at the hood of the car. Castiel was standing there, shaking from head to toe. Emma was lying in his arms, blood all over his trenchcoat.

"I cannot heal her." Castiel was repeating, his voice broken, his breath heaving. This was the first moment Dean could have sworn the angel was going to cry. The first time the angel had really looked broken. "You have to take her to a hospital."

-+s+-

"Do you think I'm being selfish?" Dean asked his brother as they sat in the waiting room of a backroads hospital off the beaten path in Missouri. Sam, who had been dozing off into his palm shook himself awake and frowned at his brother.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm just wondering if maybe I should have let her go a long time ago." Dean rubbed his eyes, looking down at the ground. "She keeps getting hurt around us. And I don't know how to make it stop for her except to let her go."

"She wouldn't want you to do that." Sam said, resting his hand on his brother's shoulder. "Look we both know Emma really well. You know she wants to keep fighting. She wants to be with you." Sam looked down at his hands, remembering as his own fingertips had ripped Sara from Emma's body, he had left her dying on the floor of a chapel. "No matter how much we hurt her."

"Mr. Winchester?" Dean and Sam both looked up from where they were sitting, leaping to their feet.

"Yea?" Dean asked. His hands were shaking at his sides as he waited for the news he was sure the nurse was going to deliver. Preparing himself for the news. He would have to call Bobby. The pause that followed was the longest of his life.

"She's awake. She's asking for you."

Dean followed the nurse of shaking knees, Sam quick on his tail as he followed the nurse toward the open door to a room at the end of a hall. "One at a time." The nurse warned and Dean slipped into the room after a wave of Sam's hand. The steady beep of a heart monitor was the only sound, indicating a beating heart. Morning sun was shining in through the shades, casting long lines of light across the room and across Emma's face. She was pale, her hair pulled back away from her face. And although her eyes were sunken back into her head the woman lying in the hospital bed was the most beautiful Dean had ever seen. Emma's eyes opened slowly as Dean went to stand beside her, his tall frame towering over the small hospital bed. A strangled, choked sound came from his throat when Emma's eyes flitted over to his face.

"Hi angel." Emma only smiled at him as she looked him over from head to toe.

"Are you okay?" she asked. Her voice was hoarse. Dean's voice came out of his lips in a whoosh and he laughed quietly before taking her hand in his. His fingers ran over the top of her hand where the IV was attached and he sunk into the chair beside her.

"I'm okay. How are you feeling?"

Emma took a moment to respond, as if everything Dean was saying to her was taking a moment to process. "Like the devil tried to rip my heart out." She turned her head slowly to look at him and found that silent tears were trickling down his face.

"I missed you."

"I love you." There was a pause as Dean breathed slowly in and out of his nose, pulling himself back together. "We got him, right?" The hanging of Dean's head was the only answer she needed. "But you shot him in the head."

"The Colt didn't work on him." Dean said, his voice dark. "He popped right back up. And he let Death loose."

"Death?"

"Yeah."

"Like the horseman. Bobby was right"

"Yeah."

There was a pregnant pause as Emma let out a tiny sound, tilting her eyes up to the ceiling. "Okay." She nodded her head, whispering. "Okay so we try again."

"You almost died." Dean said, as if she didn't know. "I almost lost you again."

Emma thought of the rush of red hair flying around the corner. She thought of Jo lying in the hardware store. The closest thing she had ever had to a sister (save Maggie). The feeling of heat against her back as the explosion took Ellen away from her. "Dean?" the hunter's green eyes tilted up to meet her own. "I want you to ask me again."

"What?"

"Ask me again."

Dean reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out a tiny black box and holding it in his hands. His heart swelled with fear as he opened it and held it on Emma's lap.

"Will you marry me?"

There was no joy in Emma's eyes as she looked at Dean Winchester, but there was peace and determination. She held his gaze before reaching down and holding the little box in her hand as well, her fingers brushing against his.

"Yes."

-+s+-

Emma was let out of the hospital a few days later with a prescription for pain medication and a hundred stitches. She was on strict orders of bed rest, and as Dean carried her from the wheelchair to the back of the Impala, where they had set up a bed for her with dime store cushions and blankets, the glint of the engagement ring on her finger shone in the light. Sam drove while Dean sat in the back, stroking Emma's blonde hair in his lap as they drove down the highway toward South Dakota.

Bobby was waiting for them at the front door when they pulled into the drive, the crunch of gravel under the tires and a grim and tired expression on his face. He said nothing as Dean and Sam came in the front door, Dean having scooped Emma up into his arms. Bobby had had someone come and bring her bed down, he said, and Dean laid her carefully in the blankets, mumbling his apologies when she groaned in pain. The fire was roaring in the corner, books scattered across the floor as if Bobby had thrown them in a fit of rage. He wheeled himself to the side of Emma's bed, taking a moment to stare at the ring on her finger, before kissing her on the cheek. He didn't have any words. None of them did. Sam ran his hand over Emma's forehead, kissing the top of her head before retreating up the stairs. Bobby left to go to his room, and Dean settled in the chair beside Emma's bed, his hand in hers as the four of them fell asleep in the early afternoon.


	16. Chapter 16 - Ditched

**CHAPTER 16**

It was three weeks before Emma was allowed out of bed. Dean and Sam had gone off on a hunt, more because she had screamed at them to stop hovering over here like concerned parents to get them to do it. There had been a hunt in an insane asylum, which Emma enjoyed to hear about. And another that she was sore that she missed – as Sam's body had been taken over by a teenage boy. She was on the phone with them often while they were out on cases. Meanwhile, Bobby had stacked books on the end of Emma's bed and put her to work.

It was a late afternoon when Bobby finally broached the subject with her as he came rolling in with a couple of sandwiches in his lap. She took it out of his hand without looking as she turned another page to a book on angels. "How do we know that one of those swords can't kill him?" she had asked, and Bobby had shrugged. Someone had to know something. A computer was sitting on the edge of the bed with a tab open and glaring at her in the face "how+to+kill+the+devil" as if she'd find it on Ask Jeeves or something.

This subject was harder for Bobby to talk about than Lucifer. Lucifer he could handle. This, he wasn't sure that he could. "So, when are you two tying the knot?" Emma swallowed a mouthful of the sandwich and turned her head from the book to look at the man who had taught her everything she knew. The man who had saved her life countless times, and continued to save it every day. Bobby had been a father to her , and he squirmed only as a father figure would at the thought of her coming marriage to Dean Winchester.

"We haven't really had time to pick a date yet, Bobby. I'd like to be able to walk down an aisle on my own, for one." Bobby just grunted in reply and nodded his head.

"I've known Dean all his life." Bobby said gruffly as he looked at the book. He wouldn't meet her eyes. "I know what kind of man he is. But, sometimes men have a hard time with women. Treatin' em good anyways."

"Dean has always been nothing but good to me." Emma said in his defense, and gave a mischievous grin. Bobby scoffed.

"I don't doubt that." He finally met her eyes, "But since you've started runnin' with them you've almost died a few times –and I mean you've actually died once."

"That wasn't his fault." Emma said, shaking her head. "It was gonna happen anyway. Prophecies and whatever." Bobby didn't say anything. "Look, if you're trying to get me to change my mind –"

"I ain't." Bobby cut her off, shrugging his shoulders. "You're doing okay for yourselves, the two o' ya. Just be careful. I don't need those idjits gettin' you killed." Bobby's voice faltered at the end of his sentence and he glanced up and down at the bed Emma had been confined in. Her weaker frame and messy hair. Emma smiled as she pulled the computer closer to her, settling the machine on her lap.

"I love you old man."

"Yeah, yeah."

-+s+-

"Honey I'm home!" Dean's joking voice came floating in through the front door, and the first thing he noticed was the smell of cleaning products coming from the kitchen. When he walked in the door he found Emma in a pair of sweats, her hair piled on top of her head, scrubbing out the stove that hadn't seen the rough side of a sponge since God knew when. "Hey, hey, hey, hey! What are you doing up?" Emma had turned around and was smiling at Dean as he came over quickly and wrapped his arm around her waist. "What are you doing out of bed? Where's Bobby?"

"Taking a nap." Emma laughed and leaned up to kiss Dean lightly on the bottom lip. "The kitchen needed some help. I'm fine, really."

"Nope." Dean smiled and lifted her up into his arms. Emma made a weak effort at slapping Dean's chest, returning his smile. Her chest ached as he shifted her back onto the bed. "While I'm here you don't have to do anything." Emma sighed as she pulled herself into the sitting position, grimacing at the pain in her chest. The devil had broken her ribs, fractured her sternum, and pulled her heart out of place. If Dean hadn't come flying to her rescue, Emma would have been dead a moment later. The slash from her heart to her stomach was healing well, the new skin pink and tender.

"Dean," she said, narrowing her eyes at him. "You can't just keep me in this bed forever." Dean tensed a little bit at her tone, and paused in the process of pulling his gun out of his belt to set it on the table. He said nothing. "I'm serious." Emma continued, swinging her legs slowly until her feet hit the ground. "I don't need you carrying me around all over the place."

"Won't you just give me some peace of mind?" Dean asked, his shoulders slumped and moving to sit next to her on the bed. "Your best bet is to not move until everything's totally healed. You have time to reset while we're figuring out what to do about Lucifer." Emma looked at him out of the corner of her eye. She was immensely grateful to him, couldn't believe how lucky she was to have him there, loved him with all her heart – but he sure pissed her off sometimes. If they were ever going to raise a child – she paused that line of thinking and remembered what Lucifer had whispered to her. She shook the thought out of her head.

"Bobby got a call this morning." Emma said, her tone daring him to fight with her. "Someone a couple towns over needs some help with a spirit or something. Seems simple enough. No demons involved, so there's that."

"Sam and I'll head off in the morning." Dean said, nodding his head. "We'll be back by Friday." Emma thought for a long hard moment before she reached over on the side table of the bed, pulling a piece of paper off a notebook and handing him an address without saying a word. In a little huff, she lied down and turned her back to him. Dean sat there in silence for a few minutes before he sighed and checked his watch. "I'm really sorry." He told her, "I know how much you hate this." Emma only continued to stare in front of her as Dean leaned down to kiss her head and she listened to his footsteps into the kitchen. And as Dean settled down on the couch he had set up for the night, she knew what she was going to do.

The night air was cool as Emma tossed her bag into the back of Bobby's spare Chevy Blazer, she had piled her hair on top of her head and changed the thin bandage around her chest. The ache had gone down significantly since she had left her bed, the shotgun holster barely pressing against her injuries. The roar of the engine made her turn and look at the house, imagining Dean coming walking out of the front door. It hadn't woken anyone up and Emma sighed in relief as she pulled the car out of the driveway and onto the street. The house she had given Dean the directions to was in a town to the right. Emma glanced that way before turning left. She was in for it when she got back, she knew it, but somehow she didn't give a shit. It was a simple case. No more dangerous than the basic cases she was helping Glenn with when she was sixteen. She needed this, and more importantly she needed Dean to understand that she wasn't as fragile as he was treating her to be. In the year plus they had known each other he had never seemed to understand that – and she didn't take to being treated like a child lightly. So he was just going to have to deal with that.

It wasn't that she was trying to piss Dean off – she would like everything to go smoothly, but sitting on a bed unable to move replaying Jo's death over and over again in her head, the heat against her face as they stared at the explosion, Maggie's arms around her (if it even was Maggie), and Lucifer's laugh was driving her insane. The truth was, they had failed. Emma didn't deal with failure well. In fact, as the weeks had rolled on since it all happened she had shut down almost completely to conversation about it. The open highway beneath the tires was a sight she had missed, and the driver's seat she had missed even more. She'd be there by morning.

-+s+-

"You ever feel like the devil's just staring you in the face and there's nothing you can do to defend yourself?" A small woman was sitting, her legs crossed on a floral couch. She had her hands clasped together around a teacup. Emma was seated in an uncomfortably lumpy armchair across the coffee table from her, her own teacup sitting on the glass surface – untouched. Emma didn't respond, only continued to watch Deborah Claine fiddle with the rim of her cup. She had felt like that, in fact, but this woman didn't need to know that. "I've already told the police everything I know." Deborah said, tilting her head to meet gaze with Emma. Her eyes were rimmed with red. "I couldn't see him that well. It was dark."

"I don't think that mattered, Deborah." Emma said, "I think you saw more than you're telling. And I think you're not telling because you don't think they'll believe you." Deborah's eyes widened and her posture changed as she stared at Emma.

"What?"

"I'm not going to tell you that what you think killed your husband is real," Emma said, waving her hand in a dismissive manner. "But our minds play tricks on us. Sometimes the light plays tricks on us. Sometimes people are good at makeup. So tell me what you saw – the truth. And we'll move forward from there." The pencil skirt on Emma was tight around her waist. It had been Maggie's that she grabbed on accident. Any moment now and she was going to lose feeling in her legs. Her notebook was perched on her knees, and she waited patiently for the woman to be ready.

"It's gonna sound crazy." Deborah said with a small laugh. Emma smiled.

"I'm sure I've heard worse." There was a pause before Emma tilted her head to the side. "Just tell me what you saw." She said comfortingly.

Deborah sighed and set down her teacup, probably afraid she was going to spill it with the way her hands were shaking. Emma heard her phone begin to vibrate in her bag. "It wasn't… it wasn't Danny's death that was the scariest part of all of this. The real trouble happened two days ago. Someone came into our house and did something to him. It was a man – that much I could tell. But he was pale. Very tall. Danny had gone down to the kitchen for a drink in the middle of the night. There was a crash like a glass breaking on the ground and I went down to help. Danny has – had – arthritis pretty bad and sometimes it flared up." Deborah paused and ran her hand along the back of her neck. "Danny was just standing there –" Deborah pointed and Emma craned her neck to look at the spot in the kitchen doorway she was referring to, "but there was that man with him. And at first I couldn't believe my eyes – it looked like he was kissing Danny. But there was a bright light where their mouths should have been. I screamed, and the man took off out the door.

"Danny was different after that. I tried to ask him what had happened, begged with him and screamed at him, but he wouldn't talk about it. I couldn't tell if he couldn't remember or not. He had changed. I remember… there was a little boy outside of the house yesterday mornin' and he was selling candy for his school trip or something. Danny always gave money to kids at the doors fundraising. But this time, he just shut the door in the boy's face." Emma frowned and watched as tears started running down Deborah's face. She again ignored the vibrating of her cell phone, "He didn't care about anything. I tried to talk to him about it again but he didn't wanna hear nothin' from me about the way he was acting. So I thought maybe he had just gone through a lot that night – and I left him alone about it. Until yesterday, Danny was downstairs watching the game and I went upstairs to read and wash my face. I came back down to ask if he was comin' to bed. And…" her voice faltered, "That's when I found him. He was on the couch, his throat cut wide open." A small sob escaped the woman's mouth, and Emma reached into her pocket to hand her a tissue. "Thank you. I didn't mean to lie to the police, I just knew it had to be that man. It was so odd what happened and then he – and then he – Oh God…" Emma sighed and nodded her head. Nothing was written in her notebook, and she tucked it into her pocket. There was a long pause as Emma watched Deborah, waiting for her to add anything else she could think of. "I have to pick up my sister from the airport in a few minutes. That's really all I remember. You must think I'm insane."

"I don't." Emma said and smiled. "This was all very useful, thank you."

"Agent?"

"Yes?"

Deborah indicated her bag with a nod of her head. "Your cell phone's been ringing."

Emma stood up and pulled her phone out of her bag, holding it in her hand before hitting the answer button. "Yes thank you." She put the phone to her ear, "This is Agent Williams, please hold on a moment."

 _"Emma!"_

"Thank you so much for your help, Deborah. Here's my card. That connects you straight to my cell phone – if you think of anything else or need me just call."

Deborah took the card with shaking hands and nodded her head. She was an older woman, the tears on the edges of her eyes suggested an upbringing structured around composure. She would fall apart later. Emma knew the look. "Thank you."

"You have a good day. Drive safe now." Emma let herself out of the 1970's home and onto the sidewalk quietly. She held her cell phone clutched in her hand and only when she was tucked into Bobby's car did she raise it to her ear.

"Hi, Dean."

"Where the hell are you?!" Dean's voice was explosive on the other end and Emma held the phone away from her ear briefly. "Why weren't you answering my calls?!"

"I was in an interview." Emma replied coolly, her resolve rooting itself in every word.

"I looked up the address you gave me and it doesn't exist." Dean's voice was tense with fury. Emma glanced out her window and watched as Deborah walked out of her house, absently fiddling with her keys before she got into her SUV. US ARMY VET was printed on the frame to her license plate and Emma sighed.

"I know."

"So where are you?"

Emma shrugged her shoulders, "I told you I'm working on a case."

"Where?"

"A couple towns over from y'all." There was a brief pause on the other end.

"I'm gonna find where you are. I'll just ask Bobby."

"Good luck with that. I'm the one who answered the phone. And by the time you're done calling through everyone in Bobby's address book to ask them, I'll be done here." There was a long pause this time. Silence came through the phone. Just as Emma was about to ask if Dean was still there, he spoke.

"Are you even coming back?" Dean asked, challenging her. He was grasping for straws, looking for a real reason to be angry. Emma sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Of course I am. This case shouldn't take more than a couple days. I'll be back by the weekend."

"How's your chest?" Emma rotated her shoulders against the ache behind her sternum.

"It's fine."

"Bull shit!" Dean shouted through the other end of the line. "You almost died – are you friggin kidding me?! You expect me and Sam to just sit here while you're out there in danger?"

"Oh you mean like I did when you two were out hunting? When I sat around when you were in an insane asylum? Or when Sam's body got switched? Why is this any different than when you left me stuck at Bobby's and went off?"

"You know –"

"I'll tell you how this is different, Dean. I trust you as a hunter. I knew you'd come back safe."

"Are you saying I don't trust you?"

"It sure the hell looks like that from over here."

"What – Emma I know – what are you even trying to prove?!"

Emma sighed and started the car. "I've been hunting for years. I don't need you to tell me if I'm well enough to do my job. I'm not some – no shut up, Dean – I'm not some doll that you get to carry around on all your little adventures and screw at night. I'm a hunter. It's what I love. I said shut up! Jesus Christ, if you can't trust me to take care of one hunt on my own _how are we supposed to save the world?!_ "

"You –"

"Are you gonna put Bobby on the phone so I can ask him a question or do I need to research this myself?"

"I –"

"Put Bobby on the phone Dean."

"This isn't over." Dean was sulking, his voice pouty. Emma laughed.

"Yes it is."


	17. Chapter 17 - Once Upon A Dream

**CHAPTER 17**

Emma's laptop had been destroyed in the car crash that took out her truck. So now she was sitting in a library, next to a number of people typing away. Her search history was surely going to raise some eyebrows to anyone who looked through it. The clicking of her neighbor's typing rang through the air as Emma rested her chin on one hand and scrolled through the options the internet had to offer her.

"soul+sucking"

"soul+eating+death"

"soul+eating+ghost"

After coming up empty over and over again, Emma set her jaw and narrowed her eyes at the computer screen.

"prophecy+child"

"heaven+hell+fight+child"

"gospel+child+battle"

Her phone began to vibrate in her pocket, and when she pulled it out and saw Bobby's name on the screen Emma quickly closed everything she had up on her screen, grabbed her bag, and walked out of the library. She didn't need her fingertips trick to know what the man beside her was thinking.

"Hey Bobby. You got anything?"

"I'll tell you I got two sulking boys here. Dean's eating up my fridge." Emma laughed as she sat in Bobby's car with the door open lighting the cigarette perched in her lips. "Dean's still pretty angry, Em."

"Let him be." Emma responded. Her voice came out harsher than she intended. Bobby was silent on the other end for a moment. "If he wants to throw a temper tantrum he's welcome to." She continued nonchalantly. Emma shrugged her shoulders.

"He just seems kind of moody." Bobby said defensively. "And worried – I mean everybody's worried."

"You tell me this." Emma propped one booted foot on the Chevy's open door. She was really taking a liking to this car. Maybe she could get Bobby to sell it to her. "In the past twelve years how many times have you sat at home worried sick about me on a hunt?"

"What?" a pause, "I dunno maybe once. But for the past twelve years you haven't had a target on your back. The devil wasn't after you."

"I can handle Lucy just fine on my own. We thought the Colt was going to kill him last time. That's the only reason my guard was down and there wasn't light comin' out of my hands throwing him fifty feet." Emma was half lying. "So once. Because you trust my ability. Dean's gonna have to just get over it. Now, does he need some tampons on my way back or do you have some information for me?"

"I just think that if y'all are gonna get married you can't be like this with each other. Don't' shush me, girl. Just think about it." Emma sighed and didn't say anything in response, twisting the engagement ring perched on her finger. "I found some stuff on what you might have on your hands there." Emma reached over into the glovebox, propping her phone under her ear and grabbing a pen and scrap of paper.

"I'm ready."

"Sam figured it out. It's looking like it's an African Vampire." Bobby began. Emma frowned.

"African?" she wondered aloud, "What's so different about them than American ones or European ones for that matter?"

"I'm getting there. It looks like they were either created separately or became the way they were – or maybe European and Americans ones changed – I don't know. They're different than vamps I've come across. The idea is the same. But these vamps suck the souls out of their prey before they kill them." Emma jotted this down quickly. She would move it into her journal later. "Now, according to legend, they only kill because that's the best – shit how did Sam put it – a fellow's energy is most powerful when someone's dying. So they suck out the soul, but a little bit of that energy or whatever, is left and leaves when they're dying. But they don't drink the blood."

"Then why call them vampires?"

"They're basically the same thing is why. They only come out at night, sunlight will hurt them. They can hypnotize people."

"Do they normally wait at all to kill their prey?"

"No they'll do it all at the same time."

"Deborah must have scared it away." Emma said out loud. Bobby's grunt indicated he agreed. "And then it came back to finish him. Okay. So how about their activity? Do they travel in groups?"

"Mostly they hunt and live by themselves."

"So I don't have to worry about a nest."

"Right."

Emma nodded, flipping the page over. "Okay. So how do you kill them? Same way as another vamp?"

Bobby sighed. "Well not really. Takin' off their heads is the best way to keep 'em from killing you. But you gotta burn them – or they just stay alive."

"Like the two parts of their body still can move and shit?"

"That's what Sam read. He also read that putting gold coins on their eyes when you burn them will keep 'em from comin' back. I don't know that I buy that 'cause burnin' them leaves nothin' left. But I wouldn't take my chances."

"You got it." Emma nodded her head. "Tell Sam thanks and that I'll see him tomorrow."

"No problem."

"Hey Bobby?" Emma asked. She absently put her paper onto the passenger's seat.

"Yeah?"

"You find anything on that prophecy yet?" she asked him quietly, as if the Winchester brothers could hear her. She heard Bobby's heavy sigh on the other end of the phone and knew the answer before he gave it to her.

"Not yet. But I'm lookin'."

"Thanks old man – try not to tell Dean."

"Yeah."

Emma nodded and ran her hand over the back of her neck. "Alright, I'll see you tomorrow, Bobby. Love you."

Bobby Singer grunted in return and hung up the phone.

-+s+-

As Emma leaned back against the headboard of the hotel bed, her journal propped against her leg and the scrap of paper and a beer beside her, she nodded off. Her chest had begun to ache a little bit, but the bottle of pain killers sat unopened in her travel bag. She needed to be aware tonight when she went hunting. Emma again checked her watch. Enough time to get a nap in before the sun went down. As a yawn made her crack her jaw, Emma tossed her journal to the side and curled up against the pillow, hugging one of them to her as she drifted off into oblivion.

The grass under her bare feet made the hunter roll her eyes dramatically. The angel that stood in front of her was emotionless as always, but offered her a tiny smile as she stepped forward into the grassy meadow.

"Why's it always in the woods?" Emma wondered, lifting her eyebrow up as she crossed her arms and stared at Castiel. She breathed in the refreshing smell of pine, not complaining, and closed her eyes for a moment to listen to the soft sounds of birds chirping and animals rustling in the brush of the forest.

Cas looked around. "You're less likely to be distracted in a quiet place." He said, as if it were obvious, in his monotone voice. A light breeze brushed over the grass and fluttered the bottom of his trenchcoat.

"I'll remember to request meeting Lucifer in a nice quiet place next time." Emma said sarcastically, a bit of defiance tinging her words. Castiel frowned at her.

"I believe you're mocking me."

"I am." Emma crossed her legs and sat down on the ground, the ends of the foliage tickling the bottom of her back where her shirt had pulled up. "Can we not this time, Cas?" she asked after a moment of silence, "I've gotta get up in a few hours and hunt. I'd like to have actually slept for some of that time."

Castiel had walked over and sat down on the ground in front of her, mirroring her position. Emma stared across the space into his eyes and once again wondered what he was thinking. His face was always a mask, and many times had she wished for some emotion to touch his features. He would have been more handsome that way. "And if Lucifer comes back for you tonight?"

"I'd probably do him more good having had a bit of sleep than a couple more hours of moving rocks around in a forest." Emma immediately held up her hands, "Not that this hasn't been anything but great."

In the three weeks Bobby, Sam, and Dean had thought Emma had been spending all her time resting, she had been here in the many hours that she slept in a trance. Castiel and Emma had figured out what she could not do with her angel powers, and what she could strengthen. To Emma's relief, she couldn't "blink" as Castiel called it. She could not move from one place to another in an instant. Also, to Emma's relief, she could not read minds. She had had enough of that. She couldn't go back in time, couldn't hear other angels on their wavelength, and couldn't live forever. She had tried to learn as much about Castiel as she could – but any more personal questions, his life in Heaven, his feelings about things, if angels fell in love, had still gone unanswered.

What she could do was pretty damn cool, if Emma did say so herself. She had made a joke about the Force to Castiel, but unfortunately he hadn't understood. Apparently Star Wars wasn't something that angels watched as children. Emma could move things with her mind and throw enough power to take a demon or human down without a problem. It had started with pebbles, then moved up to books and even trees. The bigger the object, the more it tired her out; she learned that she had to recharge her light (as she was calling it) when it had run its course. Then, when Castiel was satisfied with her only slightly higher than beginner skill to believe she could at least have the basics in her mind, she had moved onto demon fighting.

This was where she was excited to practice. Emma had blinked in confusion when Castiel had made a demon appear in her dream. She didn't like that. And for a whole week she had thrown her light at him, with no change. She could lift up the meat suit, sure, but actually harming the demon was something just always out of her reach. Until Emma had slept the night she had arrived in the town she was in. She was jittery but determined in her situation, and angry with Dean. She had attacked the demon again and again, throwing everything she thought she had at him until, with equal parts fascination and horror, she watched as the lights behind the demon's eyes flickered like a dying lamp and blood had begun to run out of the man's nose.

"What did I do to it?" she had asked curiously, leaning down over the body of the dead man.

"You trapped it." Castiel had replied in his same monotone. But for a moment, Emma detected a hint of pride in his voice. "I don't think you can kill them like we can, but with enough force, you seem to be able to trap them in the human's subconscious - that's not the right way to explain it but it's close to the idea."

"This is like what Sam can do." Emma pointed out uncomfortably. What was Dean going to think of this?

"Not really. You're not killing them or sending them back to Hell. That's what Sam was doing." Castiel had reached out his hand and set it on her shoulder. "This is good news, though."

"Why?" Emma had asked, shrugging her shoulders. "Lucifer's an angel."

"But our ways of possession are generally the same. The only difference is that Angels need permission." Emma looked at Castiel and smiled mischievously.

"Does this mean I can trap you inside your vessel?" she asked.

"Jimmy was dying." Castiel pointed out, "You'd kill him if you put him back in control. Besides, you're vastly underestimating my abilities and power. What you can do is very little in comparison. I think you have the expression 'drip in the bucket'."

"So I don't measure up to an actual angel in power alone."

"No."

"No." Castiel repeated these words as he looked across the grass from her. "I won't keep you long if you'll be up all night, but you need to get some practices in."

"I've been moving beer bottles all day." Emma rolled her eyes, and reminded herself briefly of a middle school child. She leaned back on her elbows and looked up at the shockingly blue sky. "Do you think I could pull someone out of Hell?" she asked pensively. Castiel appeared next to her, peering up at the sky to see what the woman was looking at.

"You'd need to exist on another level of the world." He offered no explanation but that one. "So probably not." Emma nodded her head and sighed a little bit. Finally, she turned to Castiel, her eyes narrowed.

"Will I pass this onto my kids?"

Castiel rolled to lie on his side, the most at ease Emma had ever seen him. And yet even still there was a frown on his face. "I do not know." He said, taking a moment to think. "Would you have passed on your fingerprint power?" Emma shrugged her shoulders.

"I dunno."

"I suppose we'll have to find out." Castiel said and looked down at his hands. Emma sighed and looked up at the sky, one of her hands resting on her stomach. The birds were chirping softly, the wind brushing blades of grass against her face. Closing her eyes peacefully, she listened to the rustling of trees.

"If I'm lacking the power to match up to an angel," Emma began, concerned, "then what good am I against Lucifer?" She could hear Castiel rustling beside her, but she didn't open her eyes, "Moving things is amazing – it's real cool – but if it's not going to do any good against Lucifer then what is the point of all of this?"

"The stronger you get, the more you can do," Cas replied simply, "you've got untapped power stowed away that you haven't accessed yet." Emma laughed briefly and turned her head to look at Cas. He was staring right at her.

"You mean like leveling up?"

"I don't know what that expression means." Emma simply laughed and turned her eyes back up to the sky. It was nice here. The only thing missing was –

"Emma?" both the hunter and Cas bolted up, turning to see who it was coming down a path from the tree line. The familiar leather jacket and dark head of hair alerted Emma to who it was immediately, and she quickly raised herself to her feet. "Where are we?"

"Did you do that?" she asked Castiel, turning back to watch her fiancé jogging toward them.

"No," Cas said with a frown, "It appears that _you_ did."

"But how –" Emma's question was cut short when she saw Castiel disappear into thin air. Emma turned her head and took a few steps forward, feet barefoot on the grass as Dean finally made his way to her. Before she could even get a word in, Dean's lips were pressed against hers in a bruising kiss and he had gathered her up in his arms. Emma laughed against him as the two of them dropped to their knees, and Dean pushed Emma to be lying on the grass, his own body hovered over her. Emma arched her back and let out a little sound as his lips traveled down her neck and nipped her collarbone. With a smile, she tucked her foot under one of his legs, partly using her body strength and partly her light to flip him over onto his back, her own body on top of his. "You're in my dream tonight." She said slyly and he smirked, lifting his eyebrows.

When the two of them were spent, lying in each-others arms on the grass, the dream sun was lowering itself into the mountains on the edge of Emma's imagination.

"I should yell at you." Dean said gruffly into the top of Emma's head. She laughed and shook her head.

"I'm trying to teach you a lesson," she said earnestly, rolling onto her back to look him in the eyes. She loved his green eyes, the way that they sparkled with a boyish charm and stared back at her as if she were the only thing in the world that mattered in that moment. When green met green as they stared at each other Emma could swear she heard electricity buzzing in the air. Dean was lifting an eyebrow at her, in a way that told her 'impress me with this so-called-lesson'. She grinned, "It's just a vampire. I've been hunting since I was 17. I don't need you to protect me all the time. I don't _want_ you to protect me all the time." Dean scowled at her in a good natured manner.

"Yeah but I like protecting you all the time."

Emma kissed his cheek, "We all got enough to worry about. You're gonna give yourself an ulcer. Just trust me enough to handle one vampire, please?" Dean looked down at Emma's hands, resting his finger on the engagement ring on her finger.

"Yeah, okay." He said in a pouting voice, "I guess." Emma kissed him again on the lips and frowned as she heard a distant ringing. Her alarm.

"Gotta go, babe." She said, "time for me to wake up."

"Wha –" but as soon as Dean had time to open his eyes, Emma was gone.

+s+s+

A hundred miles away from where Emma was turning off her alarm in the falling dusk and strapping her machete to her back, Dean Winchester had sat bolt upright on the bed that Emma had been sleeping in. Blinking his eyes and looking around, he saw that Bobby and Sam were looking through books together on the nearby couch, an ordered pizza sitting beside them. "Thought I told you to move that bed back up to the room upstairs," Bobby's voice said deeply from his position with his nose deep in the Old Testament.

"Yeah," Dean affirmed, rubbing sleep out of his eyes, remembering Emma and him in the field. Although he knew it was a dream, it seemed so real. Had to be her angel mojo. Now THIS was cool.


	18. Chapter 18 - Back

**Hey fam! So I'm backkkkkk! And I graduated college! So here I am getting back into the hobbies I had back when I had time lol**

 **I've been apprehensive and interestingly uninterested in following the storyline of the show after the Season that I'm on right now (Season 5 for those of you who are new!) I remember when I first started this story that this was the thing to do – a lot of stories were going around where you followed the TV show because that's the Winchester's story and I didn't want to go too far off of that. BUT, I decided that after this season, which is going to be a wild ride, I promise, I'm going to completely branch off of the show and do one more sequel totally on my own. I'll probably incorporate some things from Season 6 and onward, but from there on out it's all original stuff – so look forward to that! But we've still got a ways to go before we're there SO onward we go and here's Chapter 18!It's quite long so buckle up.**

 **CHAPTER 18**

Killing the vampire had been easy, and Emma felt stronger than she had in a long time. She felt no desire to cry over impossible children or deaths that hadn't happened yet. With her machete swung over her shoulder and stained with blood, she actually hummed a song to herself. Emma pulled herself back into the Chevy that she had taken from Bobby, making sure to check again to make sure she had gotten everything out of it. Every single crumb had been vacuumed out of the car if she did say so herself. She was returning the car to Bobby spotless, then maybe he'd be less inclined to ream her a new one when she got home.

The drive back to Bobby's house was short, and as she pulled into the driveway she was surprised to see Sam standing on the porch, waiting for her. With a smile, she jumped out of the truck and jogged over, hugging him around the neck.

"How was it?" Sam asked, smiling in his brotherly way from way above her, and offered her the beer he had brought outside into the cool air for her. As Emma and Sam sat on the porch swing, she recounted the fight to the death with the vampire, soul sucker, thing – complete with animated hand movements. Sam listened intently, and when she was finally done and explaining the smell that the charred flesh of the vampire had left in her hair, Sam leaned over and smelled. "Jeez, Em." He said as he leaned away, "You weren't kidding."

"You doing okay?"

"Yeah. Have a couple leads on some new cases we can take. Feeling a little cabin fever to be honest. All cooped up here. But Dean didn't want to leave until you got back so –"

"Sam." Emma shook her head and cut off Sam's blathering into the air. "That's not what I meant." Sam's big eyes met hers and he nodded, turning his head and looking away.

There was a long pause, broken only by the soft hum of crickets on the edge of the tree line. Somewhere in the rows of broken cars, the soft growl of a stray dog floated through the air. Emma leaned over and took a sip of her beer, letting the bubbles make their way down her throat. She waited patiently for Sam to say something.

"I didn't think it was gonna be this hard." He said finally, nodding his head up and down as Emma leaned back against the hard wood of the swing to listen to him. "Like I could leave right now and go and find some blood, y'know? And the fact that I can't just makes me want to more. And sometimes I'm mad at you." Emma nodded, "And sometimes at Bobby. But mostly at Dean. I'm mad at Dean all the time. But I know that that's not rational. So." Sam finished with a shrug and Emma nodded her head, positioning herself over so that she was leaned up against the Winchester brother.

"You can come to me whenever," she said looking up at him. Sam kissed her forehead quickly, avoiding her hair. "I mean it, Sam, if it ever turns out to be too much – you come to me and we'll figure it out together." There was another long and pregnant pause as Sam sighed and nodded his head. "You know my daddy was an alcoholic." She said. Sam looked down at her, "He would get in one of his moods and my mama would ask him how many drinks he had – and it was never about how many drinks it was always how many bottles." Sam sighed and stared out into Bobby's front yard, old cars piled on top of each other, his eyes glazed over. Emma kept talking, "And y'know, he hurt a lot of people. He hurt me, my mama, a lot of people along the way… But he was sick. And I blamed him for a lot of stuff. I've been angry at him for my whole life. I never would have gone to those crossroads if it hadn't been such a miserable and terrifying time, but at the end of the day, he was just trying to survive and do the best he could." Emma watched as Sam looked down and took a deep breath. "So I get it. And you're not weak, like he was, you're one of the strongest men I've ever met. Just keep goin', Sam. Y'know? It'll get easier."

"Yeah." Sam whispered and looked down at Emma. She was surprised to see that his eyes were full of tears. "Thanks, Emma."

"Anytime, hon." The two sat on the porch in silence for a long time, until a tired Emma started dozing off on Sam's shoulder. Sam chuckled when he looked down and shook his shoulder lightly to wake her up.

"C'mon, Em." He said as he pulled her to her feet, "Dean's gonna have a fit if you don't get that vampire smell out of your hair before you go to bed." Emma groaned at the idea of a shower when she was so tired, but she knew he was right. With a sigh, and a brief kiss on the Winchester's cheek, she went inside and trudged herself up the stairs toward the bathroom. She wanted to go to bed anyways, something to try.

+s+s+

The club that Emma walked into was fancy, everything shiny and new, but empty except for two figures seated on a leather couch in front of a stage with stripper pole attached to it. She was in a strip club. With a frown, she pulled herself to the side, staring out from the shadows toward the two figures in front of her.

"I can't find you." Anna's voice rang clear as day through the room. They were in Dean's dream. Emma frowned and leaned closer. Although she was surprised and happy that her angel trick had worked, this was not what she was expecting to see.

"Oh." Dean said, shaking his head and pointing toward his ribs. "Cas did this thing." Emma watched as Anna rolled her eyes.

"Cas. Right. Now there's a friend you can count on."

"What?"

"He didn't tell you?" Anna asked, but she knew the answer Dean was going to give her.

"Tell me what?"

"Where I've been." Anna said with a scoff. "Of course not. Why would he?"

"Where have you been?" Dean asked, obviously concerned.

"Prison." She replied matter-of-factly, "Upstairs. All the torture, twice the self-righteousness." Something about this wasn't adding up for Emma. How was Anna even allowed to talk to Dean after she had been up there? Emma recalled when Castiel had come back from Bible camp, and he nearly stood by while the world ended instead of help anyone. What was Anna doing? Emma also had decided long ago that she wasn't Anna's biggest fan. She could see it in her eyes how much she liked Emma's fiancé – Emma was not going to be having any of that.

"Why wouldn't he tell us where you were?" Dean asked, surprised again. Anna shrugged her shoulders.

"Because he's the one who turned me in. Don't look so shocked," she said in response to Dean's slack jaw, "He was always a good little soldier. Did anything under orders."

"I didn't know." Dean said, shaking his head, "Are you okay?"

"No." Anna replied, "And I don't have long. I broke out. Barely. They're looking for me. If they find me—" How had they not already found her? Things were getting more and more suspicious and the pit of Emma's stomach told her that even if the angel was telling the truth, she wasn't telling the whole truth.

"What do you need?" Dean asked, always a knight to help a woman in distress. Emma rolled her eyes.

"Meet me. Two-two-five Industrial. And, please, just –"

"Dean?" Dean's head whipped around as Emma came walking out from the back of the room. Anna disappeared in an instant. "What's going on?"

"Uh, well. This is weird." Dean mumbled as he stood up and stuttered, looking around the room. "It isn't what it looks like. Wait… are you?"

"In your dream? Yeah, I thought I'd surprise you. Seems like somebody else already interrupted your little party in here." Emma's tone sounded angry, but the glimmer of tease behind her eyes told him she was making fun of him. Dean smiled.

"This is not what it looks like." Dean had both his hands up as Emma laughed, shaking her head. "I sw—" and in front of her eyes Emma watched Dean disappear into thin air. Confused, she looked around at the strip club that she was in, watching as the edges of her vision faded away and the couches melted into darkness.

"Uh oh…" she mumbled. "CAS!"

A great gasp flew out of Dean's mouth as he sat bolt upright in bed, bumping something on his elbow as he did. A soft groan told him, with joy, that Emma was back. She hadn't woken up yet – probably still in that strip club. In a flash, it came back to him. The club. Emma, Anna – "Anna!" Dean whispered and climbed out of bed, placing a kiss on Emma's shoulder as he left the room. Quickly hopping down the steps, he went to find Sam who was still sitting silently on the front porch.

Emma, meanwhile, felt like she was drifting through darkness – floating in a pitch black oblivion. She hated it. "Cas!" she shouted, but her senses had been muffled. Who knew how loud she actually was. "CAAAASS!" With a whoosh of air and a hand on her arm, Emma found herself falling faster even than her fall from heaven had been. A blow that knocked the wind out of her found her lying on the roof of a barn she had never seen before. Cas stood beside her, and for the first time ever, Emma saw him looking furious.

"Don't. Do that again." He said through clenched teeth. Emma stood up, taken aback as she looked around. The barn sat on what appeared to be miles and miles of wheat field – as far as Emma's eyes could see. The silence was eerie to her; no wind, no birds, no people. Who own heartbeat in her ears was deafening.

"Where are we?" she asked. Castiel let out an exasperated sigh and looked around.

"I had to make this." He said, rage still bending his words. "Do you even know how foolish what you just did is? You could have been lost in there forever." Emma sheepishly hunched her shoulders and grinned.

"Oops."

Cas took a deep breath. "Yes. Oops. What were you doing anyway?"

"I was messin' around because I got Dean into my dream before and ended up in Dean's dream. Anna was already there, though."

"Anna?" Cas asked sharply. "Why?"

"That's what I was looking for you about." Emma said. "I guess she broke out of Bible camp – which she says you sent her to by the way. Wants Dean to meet her." Castiel narrowed his eyes. "If you ask me, sounds suspicious." Cas grunted in response. "Why are we here by the way? How come we ain't in your dreams?" Cas frowned and looked at her.

"I don't dream." Emma's eyes widened and she could only nod a few times. Boy was she glad she didn't pick that quirk up on her way back down to earth. Cas shrugged his shoulders as he looked at her, frowning. "It's time to wake up." He said and with a swift push of his hand he sent Emma tumbling off the top of the barn.

"Son of—"

"—a gun!" Emma gasped as she scrambled up and out of the sheets she had been wrapped in. Rubbing sleep out of her eyes and coming down the steps, she heard Dean and Sam's voices in the library.

"Don't you wish, for once, we could be – bored, y'know?" Emma came walking in and met Dean's wink her direction with a smile. She squeezed Sam's shoulder on her way and pulled her phone out of her pocket as she strolled toward the coffee maker. She had one text, from Cas.

" _Meet me. 100 miles east exactly. Hotel there. Delete this when you get it."_ Emma sighed and showed the brothers, who grunted as they stood up and went to retrieve the bags. Emma ripped a piece of paper off a pad and jotted a note to Bobby, telling him they were leaving and that she would call when she could. Leaving it on the kitchen table, the three hunters filed into their respective rooms, threw their bags over their shoulders, and walked out to the Impala without a word.

"Do you think the Devil plays fiddle?" Emma wondered aloud as she leaned over the Impala's seat between the brothers and turned down the music coming from the speakers. Dean blinked and turned to look at her as Sam smiled softly. Outside, the trees were whipping by and a light rain had begun to fall. Dean whizzed past car after car on his way down the freeway. They would be there soon.

"What?"

"You ain't never heard this story?" she asked, cocking her head to the side. Dean only looked more puzzled.

"No."

"The Devil went down to Georgia – he was lookin' for a soul to steal." Emma grinned and dipped her voice low into a dramatic tone, "He was in a bind, 'cause he was way behind, and he was willin' to make a deal."

"Emma—"

"When he came upon a young man sawin' on a fiddle and playin' it hot!" she continued. "And the devil jumped up on a hickory stump and said 'boy lemme tell you what!'"

Dean, jokingly, turned the radio back up. Emma just continued, at a much louder volume, giving him a kiss on the cheek. Sam clapped his hands to the beat as Emma shouted: "I bet you didn't know it, but I'm a fiddle player too – and if you care to take a dare I'll make a bet with you! Now you play pretty good fiddle, boy, but give the Devil his due. I'll bet a fiddle of gold against your soul, 'cause I think I'm better than you!"

Dean listened to this song that sounded familiar – but couldn't remember the words to it – and turned to kiss Emma on the cheek, her top half of her body leaning over on the front of the seat, a wide smile on her lips. "Looks like we gotta get you a fiddle." Dean smirked, and Emma shrieked with laughter.

By the time the Impala reached the Motel Castiel was waiting for them at, the three were hunched over in fits, laughing even as they got out of the car. Castiel appeared beside the car and stood staring at them, a puzzled look on his face.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah we're fine, Cas." Sam said, still smirking. "What's going on?"

"I met with Anna." He said, and Dean's chuckle halted, tilting his head to the side. "She did escape from Heaven. She wants to kill Sam."

That sobered up the three hunters very quickly. Three smiles fell and with a shrug and a sigh, Emma pulled the boys into the front door.

+s+s+

Emma was leaning against the wall, giving herself a neck massage as Dean paced the room, as if he were trying to put a hole in the motel floor. Sam was sitting on the far bed, staring at his folded hands – elbows rested on his knees.

"Really?" Dean asked, turning to look at Castiel who was drawing a symbol in chalk on a table. "Anna? I don't believe it."

"It's true."

"We saved her life – and it was basically Sam's idea," Emma said with a scowl, "Wouldn't you think she'd repay the favor?" Cas just shrugged.

"So she's gone all Glenn Close, huh?" Dean asked with a grin, "That's awesome." Emma watched as Cas stood up straighter and looked at Dean, confused.

"Who's Glenn Close?"

"No one—" Emma started but Dean cut her off.

"Just this psycho bitch who likes to boil rabbits." He said, waving his arm in Cas's direction. Emma closed her eyes again and continued to slow massage of her neck muscles.

"So," Sam said, straightening up, "the plan to kill me, would it actually stop Satan?"

"No, Sam, come on." Dean said sternly. Emma stayed silent, but her hands stopped moving. She was waiting for the answer.

"Cas, what do you think? Does Anna have a point?" There was a long, pregnant pause in the room.

"No." Cas finally said, "She's, uh, Glenn Close."

"I don't get it," Emma finally spoke up, looking up at the three men in the hotel room. "We're looking for the angel who wants to kill Sam? Why poke the bear?" She walked over to the table and pulled out her gun as well as her rag from the duffel bag at her feet. Slowly, methodically, she began cleaning her gun.

"Anna will keep trying." Cas told her, "She won't give up until Sam is dead. So we kill her first."

"Sounds simple enough." Emma grunted, sharing a shaking of the head with Dean as Castiel began pouring oil into a bowl sitting on the other end of the table from where Emma was seated. He began to chant and Emma paused the cleaning of her gun to watch. She saw his face pale, and his lips form a hard line. Frowning, Emma stood up, but before she could say anything – the bowl shot red flame up into the air that made her jump almost clear out of her skin. Castiel stumbled backward, putting his hand on the back of the chair. "Cas?"

The angel looked up and met Emma's green eyes directly. "I've found her."

"Where is she?"

Castiel shook his head. "Not where. When." Emma and Dean exchanged a grim glance. More time travel. "It's nineteen seventy-eight." He said with a sigh.

"What?" Sam asked sharply, standing up. "Why nineteen seventy eight? I wasn't even born yet." In a moment, it dawned on Emma and she turned to the brothers with wide eyes.

"Exactly." She said, "You won't be if she kills your parents." Sam's face wore a shocked look and Dean's eyes darkened.

"Take us back right now." He demanded. Castiel shook his head.

"And deliver you right to Anna? No, Emma and I should go." Emma blinked, cocking her head to the side.

"They're our parents." Dean argued, shaking his head firmly, "Cas, we're going."

"Time travel was difficult even with the powers of heaven at my disposal." Cas argued right back.

"Which got cut off." Emma nodded.

"Taking this trip, with passengers no less – it'll weaken me."

"Use me." Emma said with earnest. "Can't my light be like a… spare battery or something?" Cas looked at Emma closely and sighed.

"It could kill you. If I draw too much from you." Dean's short intake of breath was all the thought he had on that idea. Emma shrugged her shoulders.

"Then don't."

"Emma—"

"Dean. Don't." she cut him off. "I'm not just gonna sit around and use this light to move rocks when I can do something good with it. I trust Cas." She said, meeting eyes with the angel, "Let's do the back in time thing." Cas was still shaking his head as Dean ran his hand along his hair, shrugging his shoulders.

"They're our mom and dad." Dean said to Cas, "If we can save them, and not just from Anna… I mean if we can set things right, we have to try."

"Give me an hour to rest." Castiel finally said, shaking his head in defeat, "Emma – you should sleep as well." Emma nodded her head and walked over to kick off her shoes and lie down on the bed that Sam had been sitting on. Castiel followed her and sat down on the other side of it.

"I don't think so." Dean said from where he was dumping out the oil in the bowl. "You can sleep over there, buddy."

"If you are worrying about me copulating with your girlfriend, Dean. You can be rest assured I will be doing no such thing." Emma, who was lying on her side on top of the covers let out a snort. Dean leaned down to kiss her and she returned it softly, smiling at him as he backed away, a scowl on his lips.

"You can sit there and watch if you want." She smirked at him as her eyes closed, and Dean just huffed and she heard him sit on the other bed and turned on the TV.

"Don't think I won't." and Dean only scowled more as Cas's hand, in his sleep, creeped over to rest on Emma's open palm.

+s+s+

"You'll have to concentrate really hard on the year." Castiel was telling Emma, who was strapping her gun into her boot. She nodded. "And don't let go, whatever you do. We'll end up floating forever if anything goes wrong."

"Awesome."

Sam and Dean were both standing there, Dean was particularly staring at Emma and Cas's hands joined and the soft glowing light that was coming from that spot.

"Ready?" Cas asked. Emma nodded her head and Sam sighed, adjusting his duffel bag on his shoulder.

"Not really." Sam said nervously. Dean shook his head.

"Bend your knees." Cas reached out with his fingers, drawing only the power he needed from Emma to touch their foreheads, and send them flying across time. Like a hook had been attached to Emma's stomach, threatening to spill out their contents she felt her body fling into the air.

It only took a second for Emma to realize that Cas was getting close to hurting her. She squeezed his hand, getting no response from him as they flew through the air, and she could only hope for the best as they landed on the street in 1978.

The honk of a horn was distant as Emma felt her body collide with the pavement. She was tired, more tired than she ever had been in her entire life. She could feel blood seeping out of the corner of her mouth from where it had collided with a rear view mirror, but she didn't care. Cas had taken too much. She felt like shit.

"Emma! Cas?" As Emma sat up slowly, the world coming back into focus, she saw the brothers running over to where Cas was leaned against a car above her.

"Hey." Dean said as he kneeled down beside her. She took his hand gladly and pulled as he hoisted her to her feet. She wobbled for a second but waved his hand off her after a second, a wave of nausea coming over her. "Take it easy." Dean told her gently and looked over to Cas. "Are you all right?"

Cas nodded, "I'm fine. I'm much better than I expected." He looked over at Emma and sighed at her pale face. He had not wanted to do that. As if she knew what he was thinking, Emma shook her head at him in a motion for him not to worry about it. "Should someone take her into medical treatment?" Cas asked weakly. Dean raced forward to catch Cas as he fell forward, spitting blood onto the ground and passing out. The two men grunted under his weight, and Emma raced over as fast as her wobbling legs would carry her.

"He's breathing." Sam said, "Sort of. What do we do?"

"Let's get him somewhere safe." Emma said, and turned to walk down the street toward the nearest motel she could find.

"You okay?" Sam asked as he flipped through a phone book at a pay phone. Emma was leaned against it, looking around cautiously.

"Yeah. Feel a little sick but outside of that I think I'll be okay." Emma said with a nod and crossed one leg over the other.

"This angel stuff is pretty cool." Sam said, distracted but earnest. Emma smiled, shrugging her shoulders. "I mean like powers like that and stuff."

"Better than reading minds, let me tell you that." Sam laughed as Dean came walking out of the motel they had decided to leave Castiel in. Two people passed Emma and Sam, who honestly looked out of place in their blue jeans and jackets. Emma pursed her lips.

"I mean, the mustaches alone…" Sam mumbled.

"So I paid for Cas for five nights up in the, uh, honeymoon suite." Dean said as he walked over and put his arm over Emma's shoulder. "I told the manager, 'Do not disturb no matter what.' You know what he said to me? 'Yeah. Don't sweat it. Want to buy some dope?'" Emma let out a bark-like laugh and shook her head. Unreal. "Dope." Dean continued, "we should stick around and invest some stock on Microsoft."

"We might have to, if Cas and Emma aren't tip top by the time it's time to go back."

"I'm always tip top." Emma argued with Sam, glaring in his direction. "Is he all right?"

Dean scowled, "What do I look like – Dr. Angel, Medicine Woman?" Emma laughed, "He'll wake up. He's, you know, tough for a little nerdy guy with wings."

"Well, I think –" Emma's words were caught in her throat as she saw a woman jogging across the street a mere eight feet away from her. Immediately there was a pull as Emma stood up straighter. "You guys go find your parents. I'll be right there." She said and took off down the sidewalk. Dean called after her (Hey, wait!), but she said nothing, simply followed the mess of blonde hair that was walking briskly down the street and away from the two Winchester brothers.

Emma followed the blonde woman nearly ten blocks before she swiftly ducked into an alleyway. Emma frowned and turned down the same alleyway, but halted when she saw no one. "Hello?" Emma called out and took a couple of tentative steps into the dirty alley. A dumpster to her right told her everything about this particular street and who might live there.

Suddenly, in a surge of strength and surprise, the woman that Emma had been tailing had pinned the young blonde up against the wall. Emma was surprised at the speed, and the knife against her throat, but she was most surprised at the eyes that were staring right into her own.

"Who are you and why are you followin' me?" the woman's southern drawl was tighter than Emma's own, but she would know that face anywhere.

Emma stuttered, wriggling her body and shaking her head a few times in shock as she stared. After a pause, Emma said the only thing that kept coming to her mind.

"Mom?!"


	19. Chapter - Caroline Dixon

**Quick shout out to ixistargirl89ixi who actually blows me away what an awesome creature thanks for the continued reviewing and reading 3 3 3! Onto Chapter 19!**

 **Chapter 19**

It would still be five years before Emma was born, and Caroline Dixon (a couple years shy of Caroline Gordon) did not want children. The blonde woman pulled her curled shoulder length hair into a ponytail and stood at the foot of a hotel bed where another blonde, who looked just like Caroline's mother, was passed out on the pillows. Caroline sighed to herself, flipping the sleek device that Emma had had in her pocket over and over again in her hand. She had tried to figure out how to use it, but apparently she needed a code to get in. After only a couple tries she had given up, and pursed her lips in frustration. She wondered at how long this girl was sleeping, remarking to herself that she didn't even hit her that hard. It had been a scene to be carrying a woman into a hotel room, the number of looks that she had gotten was amazing. At least no one had said anything, but there went her cover if she needed it.

Caroline sat down on the other bed, crossing her legs at the ankles and leaning her head back against the headboard, staring at the wall. Specks of plaster stuck out from the walls and if she stared at them long enough, she could see little figures within them. Amongst the wall of cheap paintings and tacked up numbers for pizza delivery services was a phone hanging on the wall. Caroline wondered briefly if she should call Bobby Singer's grandpa, and decided against it. She could handle this herself.

Emma's groan was what brought Caroline's attention off of the strapping man that was Bobby, wondering how he was doing. Last she had heard from David Singer, Bobby was working on a plant in Minnesota – in the dead of winter. Caroline did not envy him. Sounded terrible. The two of them hadn't spoken in a few weeks and Caroline didn't need word getting around to him that she was asking about him. Bobby was cocky enough without.

As Emma's vision came into focus, every bone in her body ached and her head pounded. The source of her headache originated somewhere near her temple, and as she opened her eyes, she saw the familiar pattern of a hotel comforter spread out under her. She blinked and focused in on the crack in the curtains to the outside world. The sun would set soon but none of the hotels Emma had ever been in were this outdated, judging by the AC machine under the sill of the window. She had to still be in the 70's. Then it all came flooding back to her, the time traveling, the woman, the fist flying toward her face. As if she had been electrocuted, Emma sat up quickly, twisting her body as she came to stand up on the soft carpet beneath her socks. As she put up her hands, ready to fight, she halted and her hands flew up into the air, palms forward. On the other side of the bed a woman was already standing with a gun pointed directly at Emma's head.

"Whoa – hey!"

"Why were you following me?" Caroline's question was sharp, and Emma took a step back, the back of her legs hitting the side of the bed.

"Listen," Emma said slowly, "Why don't we just put the gun down. I'm unarmed. I'm not here to hurt you. Let's just… calm down, okay?" In all of Emma's memories of her mother, she had never known her to touch a gun. She had never known her to raise her voice. This firecracker of a woman that reminded Emma so much of herself was not the woman she knew. What was going on?

"I ain't puttin' down no guns." Caroline fired back sharply. Emma took a deep breath. "Do I look stupid to you? I don't fall for none of them demon tricks."

Emma froze, her hands still in the air and her heart seemed to miss a beat. "What?" Caroline didn't answer. "Look, Caroline, I'm not a demon. I can prove it to you – got any holy water? Or salt?"

"Of course I do." Caroline said with a frown and reached over to grab a flask off the table. Not roughly, she tossed it to Emma who quickly poured it onto her arm. Nothing. There was a long moment of silence as the two stood at a stand-still. Emma's heart was racing as she took in the woman across from her. Caroline Dixon was a tall, slender woman with narrow hips and long legs that her bell-bottom jeans accentuated against her dark brown cowgirl boots. An old, faded black t-shirt hung off her shoulders and her curly, shoulder-length blonde hair fell wild. Emma wondered if she knew that one day she would trade her jeans for dresses and her shirts for aprons. Emma swallowed heavily and frowned.

"Are you a hunter?" came spilling out of her mouth before she even knew if she wanted the answer or not.

"Why did you call me mom?" Caroline's own question was her answer. Why else would she have a flask of holy water and an arsenal against the wall? She lifted an eyebrow and slowly lowered her gun, allowing Emma to breathe.

And Emma did take a deep breath, "Because my name is Emma Gordon," she said in a leap of faith, "And I'm your daughter."

Caroline pulled the trigger.

+s+s+

"We should have gone after Emma," Dean was mumbling as the two boys walked toward the quaint townhouse.

"She can take care of herself." Sam replied, although he too wished they had gone after the blonde. "Besides, we gotta take care of this – Anna could be here already. She'll find us."

"No cell phones really sucked didn't it?" Dean growled and reached his hand up to knock hesitantly on the front door of the Winchester parent's house. Sam's breath hitched, experiencing in this moment what Emma must be feeling twenty miles away as he saw the woman who opened the door. Mary Winchester's face fell, and she glared at one of the Winchester brothers.

"Hi, Mary." Dean said, his voice significantly softer.

"You can't be here." Mary said in a hushed voice, shaking her head and glancing up and down the street. Dean protested and Mary shook her head, "You don't understand. I'm not— I don't do that anymore. I have a normal life now. You have to go." Sam heard in her voice a tinge of panic, her eyes darting around and behind her back.

"I'm sorry, but this is important, okay?" Dean said, ever the persistent one, but was cut off as John Winchester reached over and swung the door open. The man cleared his throat, and Sam took in a sharp breath.

"Sorry, sweetie, they're just…" Mary started but Dean cut her off.

"Mary's cousins." Dean said with a smile, "We couldn't stop through town without swinging by and saying 'hey' now could we?"

Sam watched silently, in a state of emotional shock as Dean reached forward and shook John Winchester's hand. Sam, as if in a trance, shook his father's hand as well.

"Sam." John said, nodding his head, "Uh, Mary's father was a Sam." Sam nodded his head pleasantly, as if on autopilot.

"Uh," Dean faltered watching as Sam kept his hand in John's a little too long, "it's a – it's a family name."

"You okay, pal?" John asked gentler than Sam had ever heard his father speak before, "You look a little spooked."

"Uh, yeah." Sam stuttered out, dropping the hand, "Just… long trip."

"Well!" Mary said with a giant fake smile on her lips, "Sam and Dean were just on their way out –"

"What?" John exclaimed, "They just got here. Real happy to meet folks from Mary's side. Please come in for a beer." Dean looked at his mother and gave her a cocky smile.

"Well, twist my arm." Mary glared at him and followed the three men into the inside of her home.

+s+s+

The barrel of Caroline's .22 pistol shook with the explosive power that sent a bullet flying out the end. Emma only had a split second to react in surprise as it flew through the air and landed directly in the floorboard next to a shocked looking Caroline who jumped to the side. Emma, meanwhile, had ducked to the side out of instinct, and the two women looked at each other from across the room.

"You expect me to believe you for even a single second?" Caroline asked and Emma slowly stood back up, still nervous at the gun in her mother's hand. She was used to being disappointed in her mother – this was nothing different, but never had she been afraid. Emma sat down on the edge of the bed and watched as Caroline sat across from her.

"No," she said with a shake of her head. "I wouldn't if I were you. But you also don't believe in mermaids. And I can tell you I've seen one." Caroline frowned, "You always wanted a pink house, you don't like beer because of the little tummy it gives you, you're allergic to blueberries but eat them anyways sometimes because they're your favorite fruit, and all your life you wanted to name your daughter Emma because that was what your mama was going to name you." Emma watched as Caroline swallowed heavily, her eyes fogging up just a bit as she slouched a little in her seated stance. "And you don't want children. You told me that when I was little. I was home crying because Cindy – a classmate of mine – was mean to me one day at school. And you told me it didn't matter what Cindy said, because I was a miracle. You had always known you didn't want kids every day of your life and the day you found out you were pregnant with me – you said you knew you had been wrong all this time." Emma watched with her own misty eyes as Caroline wiped tears off her cheeks before clearing her throat.

"Okay so," she said in a cracking voice, looking up at the ceiling, "Let's say I believe you. What did you say your last name is?"

Emma frowned and ran a hand over her hair. "Uh, Gordon." She said, "But I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to say anything else." Caroline tilted her head to the side.

"Why?"

"When a movie called _Back to the Future_ comes out in a few years, you'll understand."

"Am…" Caroline faltered briefly, the most emotional Emma had seen her since Emma showed up, "Am I allowed to touch you?" Emma laughed and felt the bruise forming on her jaw. Caroline sheepishly bowed her head and mumbled an apology before coming to kneel in front of Emma, who was still sitting on the bed. She held her daughter's hands in hers, and in the most touching display of affection Emma had ever seen or felt in her entire life, her mother leaned down and kissed her palms. The two sat there in silence, as Emma stared at the top of her mother's head. Wishing that she could say more – wishing that she could tell her mother what a danger Adam Gordon was going to be for their family. Wishing she could tell her to stop the little girl from climbing out her window with an old book in her hand she had found in her mother's closet and jogging to find the nearest crossroads. But Emma knew it wouldn't change anything – what was done was done.

"Gordon, huh?" Caroline was saying a half hour later as Emma came walking out of the bathroom. "Not gonna lie, kiddo – that makes things awkward on my end."

"Why?"

Caroline tossed this information off easily, it would be of no consequence to her daughter. She didn't even know the man. "I'm dating a guy named Singer."

"Named who exactly?" Emma had just about had it with surprises today.

"Bobby Singer."


End file.
